The small silver star at the tip of Aleksandar Djordjevic¡¯s Mercedes shines bright. He polishes it every week.

Djordjevic makes combustion engines for Daimler, one of Germany¡¯s flagship carmakers. He has a salary of around €60,000 (about $70,000), eight weeks of vacation and a guarantee negotiated by the union that he cannot be fired until 2030. He owns a two-story house and that E-class 250 model Mercedes in his driveway.

All of that is why Djordjevic polishes the star on his car.