It's amazing to read so many of these posts that describe all management to be bumbling, dishonest fools and at the same time all of the technicians profess to be mistake free, honest people that don't let a second go by without worrying about what more they can do to help out their company.
A while ago I heard someone in a similar industry to ours had a layoff. I called to tell him that I was looking for a talented, good technician and if he could offer me a name of someone that he laid off so that I could contact him about my opening. His answer was simple- "I would never get rid of anybody like that!"
I know there are problems in all industries and all companies but my guess is that some, more than others ,contribute more to the problems than those that care to correct them. Most companies that I am familiar with want good employees who prove themselves and get rewarded. There are very few, who as a lot of you have suggested, that hire someone to see how much skin that they can take of your back. It's probably more of the opposite.