The title is a good summary of my recent experience. About a month ago, I was fired after voicing my opinions/concerns, particularly the pay discrepancy between me and the new hire. I had a great work relationship with my coworkers and management prior to the events that led to my termination.
The company I worked in was/is experiencing a relatively high turnover rate. I only worked for the company 8-9 months, and I had already seen 2 out of 3 immediate coworkers leave. On top of this, I had already received a 13% competitive pay adjustment (not a raise) near the beginning of the calendar year. The new hire was brought in to fill one of the vacancies; they were assigned the same entry-level position as me. In casual conversation, I learned they were nearly making 10% more than me and I became bitter quickly.
I confronted management shortly after and requested a raise to correct the discrepancy. The excuse I received was the company wanted to compensate the new hire for their master's degree (the new hire also had a competing job offer). In my mind, that didn't justify such a large pay difference. The job didn't require a Master's. They were given the same job duties as me and I was at least partially responsible for their training. I was in a position to have greater work output/contribution to the company and that wasn't reflected in pay. Out of courtesy (and stupidity), I told management I was looking for employment elsewhere. Soon after, I was cited for creating a negative work environment and immediately terminated.
The company has plenty of job openings and my old job is still available (can't imagine why). They don't get enough applications and could always benefit from receiving more. Let me know if you want to apply and I can point this community in the right direction.