even if total compensation was decreasing, the results for the company can be improved by being able to provide their services at a lower price point by cutting costs.
cutting costs is not "screwing workers". cutting costs is key to acting in a competitive market.
Yes, generically, cutting costs in the abstract is not screwing workers.
But when you got workers to sign up to work for you under Deal-A, and then you start reducing the workers' pay without their consent, you are screwing the workers. Especially so if you are surreptitiously reducing pay, so they cannot tell they are getting paid less until it is too late to choose to provide the work. It is simply dishonest.
Honest dealing would involve telling the workers up front, "we must cut costs, your pay will be x.y% less starting in two weeks; let us know if you'll be continuing under Deal-B". It would be the same if it was still "We're making total compensation the same as Deal-A, but adjusting it to reward tasks XYZ better and tasks PDQ this much less...". Honest dealing is saying it up front. Hiding the changes is less than honest and creates suspicion.
cutting costs is not "screwing workers". cutting costs is key to acting in a competitive market.