Preface this with, midwest, “northern” bible belt area.
I have been with the same employer for roughly a decade, and at the beginning of this year; the “owners” informed us that due to the economy still being “slow” in our field, that we would be looking at cutbacks and belt-tightening across the board for the coming year. Nothing unexpected coming from tightasses like them, have heard it before – and there's nothing that's been done about is in the past.
This time, it is different.
Across the board for members in management positions, minimum (equivalent) $5/hr paycuts, hour cuts across the board to the point where some people are now working – if they are lucky 2 days a week as opposed to the 36-40 hours they had been. Complete removal of any benefits – health care, dental, all insurances, cessation of PTO and even threats of “don't work overtime, I won't pay it.”
I know here in the US worker protections are laughable at best and non-existent at worst. Aside from the “I am not paying overtime” comment, how can ANY of this be legal? We're in a relatively poor state, and the job market is either factory work or retail. It is infuriating to see a decade of work, effort and energy just get pissed all over.
Just venting. Don't mind me.