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The article doesn't actually say that the union is responsible for employees getting severance packages. The closest thing to a direct effect of the union is that some union members were offered a buy-out package to quit.

Indeed a very good example of what union can do for you.

How much was that severance exactly?

IIRC, four months pay and health insurance for those making > $110k and six months for everyone else...or something like that. That does seem pretty generous, especially for a company that small.