UPDATE: “We don’t do raises. You get a merit-based pay increase every year.”

Original post made here: https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/v8g4wd/we_dont_do_raises_you_get_a_meritbased_pay/

Things recently came to a head when my supervisor threatened to make sure I wouldn't get paid for “just sitting around” when I was doing so during the last 30 minutes of the day, because my knees were killing me.

For context, I'm 31, and due to the various accidents I've gotten into throughout the years, my knees are absolutely thrashed, and are pretty much those of a 60 year old now. I can't be on my feet all the time as a result, and at pretty much random, my knees will lock up on me and I'll be in severe pain as I have to undo whatever action I just did to fix the issue. After a few hours of working on my feet, the likelihood of my knees locking up increases drastically, and if I'm carrying anything heavy or doing something dangerous when it happens, I'm going down, and there will be consequences to my health because of it.

Anyway, after that happened, I went to the department head, told her what happened and that it was unacceptable, and even contacted HR about it. HR told me to keep them posted, but there likely wasn't much I could do without official documentation of bad knees, in which case, they'd get me an extended break if possible, but that was about all they could do.

The department head listened to my grievances last Monday, and then told me to take the next few days off, and we'd meet again on Wednesday to discuss making my job more “task-based” in how I complete duties, and what I would then be doing for the next week. On Wednesday, I went to the meeting, and found her, my supervisor, and for some reason the Administrative Assistant from the front office of the Chemistry department there, and rather than being about what we discussed, the meeting quickly turned into “The Trial of ” where all of what I'd brought up as problematic was swatted down, told not to interrupt when I tried to defend myself, and then constantly interrupted when I tried to defend myself. It became very clear that there was no winning this, so I eventually just kind of shut down and let them rant at me.

I learned a lot about them and the true nature of my position working at the college during that meeting, which cemented for me that I needed to leave ASAP, for the first alternative job offered to me. In the meantime, I'd just do whatever they said, regardless of whether I knew it was a bad idea, and let them dig their own graves. But that's a whole other story for a revenge-based subreddit. But more to the point, I made sure they couldn't fire me in the meantime, while I continued looking for work elsewhere.

Then, over the weekend, it happened. I was tapped by a company from overseas that offered me an Administrative Assistant/Data Entry position, working from home, full time and with benefits, at a rate of $35/hr, and I interviewed with them online immediately. They said they'd let me know once they made a decision, and to check back on Monday.

Today is Monday. I woke up, got on my computer after calling in to work, and checked my messages. I got the job! I will be starting as soon as they can get me the tools to begin, which should just take a few days!

I immediately threw on my clothes, went in to Yee-Haw Ladies' College, and quit! Grabbed my stuff, said my brief goodbyes, turned in my timesheet and keys, and walked out. It was the best I've felt in a very long time.

OH! And I made sure to send an email to the HR department member who oversees my evaluations. Last week they wanted to discuss the various things I put in my self-evaluation that called out my bosses for their bullshit, and when I turned down the discussion because I was sick and tired of dealing with it, and it wouldn't likely make any sort of difference anyway, given that my bosses would just deny and shoot down everything I had to say, and I didn't feel like sitting through another trial where everyone grilled me for an hour, she wished me “the best success in finding a position that better aligns with your goals and salary requirements.” So as I left, I sent the following email in response:

“Thank you for your best wishes. It is greatly appreciated. Now that I have officially left the University for work elsewhere, I believe that I should voice a few wishes of my own, that I believe adequately sum up my final thoughts on the matter.

I wish for you all to realize that is fully capable of joining a union (such as Texas AFT, which represents institutions of higher education), and for you to implement an annual cost-of-living wage increase, on top of the current merit-based wage increase.

I wish for said merit based increase to be adjusted to be generally higher for everyone, as the current rate, even at it's highest allowed amount, cannot meet the rate of rising inflation (Consumer Price index increased by 85% for the year ending March of 2022. -Bureau of Labor Statistics), leading to University employees being unable to afford to live, while still being expected to uphold a level of performance that they agreed to initially with the understanding that they would be able to pay for their basic living expenses.

I wish for the University to come to understand that rent in the area is rarely below $800 now (the average is much higher), while its employees that reside in the area are often expected, by apartment complexes where they wish to apply, to make wages equal to three times the set monthly rent in order to apply.

I wish for the situation to change, so a substantial portion of staff at is no longer stagnating at poverty wages, forced to take second or third jobs to meet the needs of surviving in 2022.

I wish for those in managerial positions here to learn that if they want their employees to continue to do even the bare minimum of what is required of their duties, they should be paid at least the amount needed for them to survive. Not what the federal minimum wage is, especially considering the extreme reluctance for the United States Government to raise it, but an actual living wage.

And finally, I wish for you to be able to do something to make the University better in these matters for other employees. If cannot afford to pay its employees the wages they need, then it cannot survive as a business or institution of higher learning.

Wishing you the best,

“

Good fucking riddance.