This is a serious misinterpretation to what this article is all about.
The problem is that in IT, it's pretty rare to work a 40 hour week. That's why MOST IT workers are on salary. So the IBM employees were payed more than they'll get now that they've been reclassified as hourly pay employees. Their base pay for 40 hours of work will be less, but they would make the same as they were when they were on salary, based on "time and a half" overtime pay. But they're going to cut back on the number of overtime hours that these people work to cut labor costs. So they'll be earning less because they'll be working fewer hours.
I'm not defending the action of IBM. I just wanted to correct your interpretation of the article.
Mark
Hell I AM in IT and have been for years. I worked at IBM for 8 years in the 80s - I know what that’s all like. I didn’t work a piddly 40-45 hours per week most weeks - my workweek, particularly when I was travelling, often ran 70+ hours with no overtime. It’s the reason I quit. I was well-compensated, but not that well.
I didn’t misinterpret the article. You did. IBM, by this action, just guaranteed that these employees MUST work 45 hours to make the same amount of money. Might it cause IBM to stop working these people 50+ hours like they did with us ? Maybe-probably - but in the 40-45 hour range, these people lose.
They took on IBM, and the 40 hour a week person lost.