If you're lucky enough to work at a company that does actually have a policy of CPI pay increases every year.
Of all the companies I've worked for (7), only 1 did.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Price_Index
(yes I realize that you are thinking about keeping up with inflation, but my point is that that's irrelevant for the point the grandparent is making)
If you're lucky enough to work at a company that does actually have a policy of CPI pay increases every year.
Of all the companies I've worked for (7), only 1 did.