Timber, I am wondering why you didn't see it coming. Are 'white collar' people that different from 'blue collar' people from the viewpoint of a CEO ?
Look, I don't have the figures for the U.S., but in France, the part of salaries in the PIB has been steadily decreasing since 1980, from 69 % in 1980 to 59 % in 2000. This, IMO, means two things. First, it means that the country's profits go less and less into the pockets of the working people. And this also means that taking care of what its working people need or want is less and less in important factor in a company's management. Wasn't it in the 80s that the horrible term 'human resources' was invented ? My computer is a resource and so am I. The main thing about a resource is that it is disposable ...
We white collar people were all so sad that others were losing their jobs, but those people should be pragmatic and understand that it is foolish to try to oppose the rules of a sound economy, shouldn't they ? And of course, that couldn't happen to us highly skilled people, since we are partners really, not resources, yes ? Of course. Remember Martin Niemöller's famous saying (
"In Germany they came first for the Communists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me--and by that time no one was left to speak up.") ...
The sentence "Our competitors are doing it and we have to do it" is especially tasty. Tell me, who started doing it first, pray ?
I do believe that since economy is getting globalized, so should workers of all countries discuss together about what they, we, want the world to be.