Been working for a chemical company for 2 years now in the lab. I’m the only person in the lab with a degree and experience and I was told when I got hired I would be promoted within a year or so because someone else was retiring. Of course they didn’t retire and I’ve been just stuck in an entry level position ever since. In December my lab manager moved to a different company and he had let me know and started training me to take over for him when he left. But the higher ups didn’t want to make me manager so that opportunity disappeared as well. I recently interviewed at another lab that is now offering me a $3.50 per hour raise but again it’s an entry level position and the drive is much longer so gas gets pretty expensive. Their lab also isn’t nearly as nice it’s very small and cramped and dirty. Frankly I’d rather keep my current job and hope to eventually get the manager position someday but I want the raise. I want to take the offer letter from the second lab and ask if my current job will try to match it. But the second lab won’t provide the offer letter until I verbally accept it. Like I asked for it to be sent to my email and I got a very basic text message outlining the general offer. What should I do? I don’t feel like I can take that to my upper management and ask for a raise.