We all have the same job title, job description, and duties – all with varying levels of experience in different aspects of the job.
A little backstory: I was hired in September of 2021 for this job and during the interview process I was asked my salary expectations, but was refused any kind of pay range on their end. My job is pretty niche and doesn’t have a lot of salary information online, so I gave him what I thought seemed fair based on similar jobs in the area. Since beginning the job in October, it became very clear the manager who hired me didn’t like me and eventually I reported him for harassment and retaliation, which led to me being transferred to a different location in the same area.
Last night I was looking through my employee profile and saw that the pay for my position is listed as $35/hr, but I have been making $25/hr since I started. I asked my coworker and he was very surprised that I was being paid $25/hr, because apparently every other person with our job, at this company, in the city makes $35/hr. I never knew what my coworkers were being paid, but I always assumed it was more than me because I am the newest one on the team. I guess that is not the case and we are all supposed to be paid the same amount.
Luckily this coworker said he would help me get this figured out and my pay adjusted to the correct wage. However, I’m still extremely bothered that this manager who hired me knew the correct wage, and allowed me to take such a low salary. It’s just another thing on top of a long list that he has done to screw me over.
My main concern is am I owed any kind of back pay? Since I agreed to the original wage of $25/hr at the first location, I don’t imagine I would be owed anything. At this new location though, we never discussed my pay and, based on my employee profile, it seems that it was assumed I was making the same as everyone else. I have looked through all my paychecks to confirm my wage wasn’t changed when I transferred, but I still need to look back and see if I actually signed anything saying I agree to the $25/hr. I would appreciate any advice on how to handle this and if I have a right to ask for back pay!
I apologize if this is confusing at all, as there’s a lot more junk about my old manager and location that isn’t super relevant to the main point. And I would like to say that reading this sub helped me so much to recognize the signs that I was being mistreated and have the courage to report him and stand up for myself!