Walk out of high school, walk into a factory job. Stay until 65, then retire. Millions of Americans followed exactly that pathway for generations.
They worked hard and were paid well, in money and fringe benefits. But the social contract changed, as Rick Wartzman points out in his book The End of Loyalty.
Wartzman tracks the changes at four major American employers--GM, GE, Kodak, and Coca-Cola--to see just how profoundly the relationship shifted. The author visits to describe some of his findings.