Question about Solidarnosc

[Admiral Yi]

I was reading The Economist on the plane, and came across an article about the situation at GM.  One thing I learned is that part of their new agreement was to allow so called Tier II employees to be hired, at half (!) the rate paid to existing employees.

So my question is, to those who believe in the concept of labor solidarity, is this decision in keeping with that spirit?  Wouldn't solidarity dictate that the existing workers vote themselves out of a job before handing this kind of deal off to their brother workers?

[Maximus]

Did worker solidarity ever catch on in this country? I thought the major unions were fairly protectionist.

[Ideologue]

I was reading The Economist on the plane, and came across an article about the situation at GM.  One thing I learned is that part of their new agreement was to allow so called Tier II employees to be hired, at half (!) the rate paid to existing employees.

So my question is, to those who believe in the concept of labor solidarity, is this decision in keeping with that spirit?  Wouldn't solidarity dictate that the existing workers vote themselves out of a job before handing this kind of deal off to their brother workers?

It's kinda fucked up, yeah.  Max is right, though, there's no such thing as solidarity in this country.  Hasn't been as long as I've been alive, if ever.

[Razgovory]

Why were you on a plane?

[Sheilbh]

There's no solidarity if there's no jobs.

[Camerus]

New (aka lower) pay scales for new hires seems to be increasingly common in the workforce these days.  Ascribe that phenomenon to hypocritical union bosses selling out their brethren for personal gain or corporate fat cats squeezing yet another dime out of the working man as you see ideologically fit.

[Zanza]

My company also has different pay scales for those that joined before and after a certain date. However, salary raises for the long-time employees are at least partially substracted from what they earn more than new employees so it's slowly leveling out.
The real difference is between employees and contractors. The latter may do exactly the same job de facto, but may earn more (think consultants) or less (think temporary workers) than the employee doing that job.

[Ed Anger]

Why were you on a plane?

To go from one place to another.

[HVC]

New (aka lower) pay scales for new hires seems to be increasingly common in the workforce these days.  Ascribe that phenomenon to hypocritical union bosses selling out their brethren for personal gain or corporate fat cats squeezing yet another dime out of the working man as you see ideologically fit.

i blame people unwilling to take pay cuts. You need new hires, but can't afford them at old prices.