Originally Posted by gloopy

I see where you're going with this, I really do. We as a profession in general and at DL specifically do deserve more and we should negotiate hard for it. But be careful with that broad brush you're painting with. There are plenty of ballers out there who are absolute slaves to their maxed out monthly nuts and "can't afford" the slightest pay cut and will therefore vote yes for anything that throws a buck at them.

Those who live below their means in this job may or may not be doing so because they are satisfied and don't want more from this profession, but its definately not fair to assume that. But one thing those folks have in common is that they don't desperately need that next paycheck to keep the churn of their over leveraged credit bubble check kiting master plan from collapsing on top of itself. In many ways that makes those individuals far more potentially hawkish in negotiations precicely because they can walk away if necessary.

Just because someone doesn't blow it all on a "Captain's house" a driveway full of toys and a bunch of 6 figure degrees in Art History Appreciation for their kids doesn't mean they are willing to settle for their current income. The guy that's maxed out, however, just might have no other choice.