I just found out that after contributing 10 months of useless time wasted at my CFA restaurant that I do not qualify for a raise. This has come months after a “wage discussion” with my HR lady. I have years of management experience and food service experience, more than some of the managers I work with but I started and still work at the lowest position in the store. The rationale behind it is “Because I have a limited availability, they could not rationalize giving me more money”. I do make more than the other people in the store at my level but that is not the point. I invested time and effort to learn how to work at this place and even though you have raised your prices by 20%, many people have not received equivalent raises, the ones that have are people who benefitted from nepotism.
For some context, I started out full-time; but once I saw that my paychecks at 13.75 an hour were only worth 700 bucks after taxes every two weeks, I had to find other jobs that paid better. I worked at a Target Distribution Center for 19.05 an hour (which ended up being 600 a week) and I did an internship for National Cash Register that paid 27 an hour (ended up being 1150 a week, I am also a full-time CS student, was taking a gap semester at the beginning of the year.).
My issue is that I have to maintain health insurance for my university, Without health insurance, I have to pay 2000 a semester (my current HMO with dental and vision is 2000 a year). I don't want to pay extra money for a lesser health plan that is required but for my mental health, I need to quit. I only work 3 hours a week and that is barely tolerable.
I hate working in the service industry because of the almost humiliating practices that undermine a majority of the people who work there (young teenagers, people of certain religions, people of certain sexualities, people of a certain color) but it's like these people are brainwashed by the idea that CFA is a great company. Funny thing, is they compare themselves to the McDonalds right next to our store and we have kids who work for minimum wage and the MickyDs across the street start at 15.00.
What should I do, should I quit or should I stay?