Although this will end badly, the protest alone is worth noticing because this hits at the heart of the entire perma temp argument that has raged around Microsoft, and other companies that use the same model for the last ten years. What is the real value of a perma temp, and what happens when they just say no to something they do not agree with?

The power differential alone is enough to make someone stop and think for a moment that the 66 workers indicated in an internal Volt memo that are unwilling to agree to a pay cut are either incredibly brave or foolhardy. In the end though, if they do not agree, they will be looking for a job because with the unemployment rate at this point, people are willing to take jobs that just pay the bills. It is also unlikely that the pay cuts will be immediately reversed once the good times start again. There will be incremental 1 to 2 percent raises each year if there is any raise at all to bring these folks back up to where they were before the 10% pay cut went into effect.

Where is this going? No one really knows for sure, but standing up for what you believe is right is a time honored thing for people to be doing. Although it is a dead certainty that these folks will be fired or have to accept the deal to keep their jobs, the protest alone is worth noting.

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