AIG高层造反，绞杀还是招安？

今天的《华尔街日报》报道说，美国国际集团的五位“老总”在抱怨，由于公司需要美国政府代表纳税人出钱救助，有意压低了他们“应该”获得的高薪。“不高兴”，威胁要辞职。

作为美国政府，我们这些纳税人的代表，对于这种公然的挑衅，我们是应该绞杀还是迁就？

美国的职业经理人付酬过高，一直就是不少人在批评的美国恶症。而这种毒瘤的形成，有在很大程度上得益于美国繁荣的上市公司制度，让这些职业经理人可以在股东不感到巨痛的情况下，小块割肉。

这种制度鼓励了职业经理人的短期行为，也导致了个人贪婪心的恶性膨胀。而又是这种膨胀，导致了这次的金融危机和一次次新的危机。

对于我，我坚决支持绞杀行为。因为，既然巴菲特都认为那些人得益太多，既然格林伯格在领导美国国际集团几十年期间，不依靠巨额的奖金反倒是能够打造出一个世界数一数二的金融航母，那么，就会有后来者，能够在相对而言“低薪”的环境下，再造一个优秀的美国国际集团出来的。

直到目前为止，如果没有政府的救助，美国国际集团可能还是没有继续生存的资格。对于这样一家公司，你当然可以说，那不是目前这些职业经理人的过错，他们不应该为此承担责任。

是的，没有错。

“那么，他们完全可以选择走人，另寻高就。”这就是格林伯格的意思。

靠金钱是买不到忠诚的。

企业长期的繁荣到底需不需要忠诚？

能不能有一种企业管理制度存在，能够获得职业经理人对企业的忠诚？

对于企业长远利益的关注？

如果将已经惯坏了的美国职业经理人阶层的行为进行必要的制约，让他们更加现实一点，可能对于美国，得益的还不仅仅是股东，还有美国这个国家。

上帝保佑美国。

【附录】

Top AIG execs threaten to quit over pay, WSJ says

By Alistair Barr
Dec 7, 2009 12:42:00 (ET)

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Five top American International Group executives threatened to quit recently in the latest spat over compensation at the government-owned insurer, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Anastasia Kelly, general counsel of AIG (AIG, Trade ); Rodney Martin, head of one of AIG's international life insurance businesses; William Dooley, who runs the financial-services division including AIG Financial Products; Nicholas Walsh, vice chairman and head of the international property and casualty unit; and John Doyle, who runs the U.S. property and casualty division, said in written notices Dec. 1 that they're willing to leave by the end of 2009, the newspaper said.

The executives are also trying to preserve their ability to collect severance payments if they leave, the WSJ added, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.

Kelly, who's been AIG's top lawyer since 2006, asked other employees to join her in threatening to resign. Martin, Dooley, Walsh and Doyle agreed and Kelly hired an outside attorney to advise the group on their legal options, the newspaper said. However, Walsh and Doyle withdrew their threats this past weekend, the Journal added.

Christina Pretto, a spokeswoman for AIG, and Meg Reilly, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, declined to comment.

This is the latest spat over executive compensation at AIG since the insurer was bailed out by the government last year. More than $180 billion of taxpayer money was committed to save the company.

Restrictions on executive pay came along with government help. Kenneth Feinberg was appointed as the government's so-called Pay Czar to oversee executive compensation at companies that received the biggest bailouts, including AIG, Citigroup (C, Trade ) and Bank of America (BAC, Trade ).

In October, Feinberg cut 2009 compensation for AIG's top 13 employees by 57%, including limiting most base salaries to no more than $500,000. Another 12 top employees had already left before the review began, according to the WSJ.

Feinberg is expected to rule on the pay of the next 75 highest-paid AIG employees within the next two weeks. Kelly, Martin, Dooley, Walsh and Doyle fall into this category, the paper noted.

Under AIG's executive-severance plan, set up before the insurer was saved by the government, some executives can get severance if they resign for "good reason," which includes significant cuts in their annual base salary or target bonus, the Journal said.

Kelly, Martin, Dooley, Walsh and Doyle claim this provision of the severance plan applies to their current situation, the newspaper reported, citing one person familiar with the plan.