So obviously not going to say any names or my company or my trade, because i still work there.
So here is how it started, about a year ago. Im technically an appretice still, but ive been doing the job at this point for 4 years, i have all my hours for my Journeyman ticket, i just havent finished all my schooling.
The way the pay works is based on hours and not schooling, so my wage is 90% of a ticketed jman.
Now i had worked beside people who were getting paid the full rate, and my work usually looks better or at the very least on par, so i eventually asked my supervisor for a raise. I said my work looks good, im not going anywhere, i always work faster than everyone else with a nicer end product.
He said no, everyone wants a raise, i cant just give one guy a raise. I say okay.
Fast forward like a month, and im sent to a big boy job, it felt like a test. The work is more complicated but i love it, caught on quickly, actually using some of the things i had learned in school.
3 weeks into this job, my rate is increased a fair bit. No one said anything, but it was back paid to when we started the job. Im stoked, in my head they finally gave me the raise i asked for after seeing i could do the more complicated work.
Well i was at this job for like 3 months, eventually got sent to another job. My first paycheck at the new place was my old pay rate. I was confused, sent an email to payroll saying my rate was wrong.
Well my supervisor comes and tells me that the rate i was getting was temporary, only approved for the other job. Now normally this would be fine, but no one had explained anything with me.
As far as i was aware, i asked for a raise and i got it.
But i guess not.
I was pissed, I called up the big boss and basically told him i was pissed off at the shit communication and i thought it was a raise etc.
Basically told me to call him back in a few days and we will negotiate a raise.
This fucker gave me a 70c raise, told me that was as high as he would go, because another dude who hasnt finished his schooling was getting paid that much, and he didnt want it to be unfair.
I accepted because that seemed fair to me, not the 70c, but the reasoning that he didnt want two guys to be paid differently.
Well the story doesnt end there. Pretty much like a week later i get sent to the job that this coworker is working. After a few days of catching up with him and getting comfortable i straight up asked him how much he was getting paid.
Well he showed me his paystub, and it was still $2 more than what i was raised too.
I was pissed off, not only did the big boss give me a shit raise, he lied to my face and said it was the same as what this guy was making. And this guys quality of work was honestly really bad for having 4+ years of hours. He cant do the complicated things.
I was pissed but i had no idea how to go about this. I ended up waiting a few more months, writing an email on a day i was doing some shitty work and frustrated.
I had time to cool off so the letter was just straightforward, “hey you said x, and i found out that wasnt true, i would like some clarification on what happened here” essentially.
He ignored it, i went another week hearing nothing, ended up back at the other dudes job and had to go repair something he had left unfinished and when i saw how poorly it was done it triggered me. I said fuck it, youre going use this guy to compare me too, then im gunna do the same.
I took a picture and sent it to my supervisor pretty much saying “this guy makes more than me, make it make sense”, i tell him what happened with the big boss, and he calls me back and offers me full Journeyman wage.
Finally got what i wanted, supervisor is the real mvp. In my face to face meeting my big boss he pretended he didnt see the email and it went to spam, but then when explaining, he accidentally said “when i first read it” when he was saying he thought it was blackmail.
Anyway so everything went better than expected. I dont think the big boss knew how disrespected i felt, and how close i was to leaving the company, i was ready to say fuck it ill start a whole new trade.
Pay your good workers fairly, we are the ones who choose to make you money everyday. You gotta fight for what you deserve!