So, long story short I have worked for someone for over five years, and this person has hired me four times and fired me four times. Each time I asked for a raise, they denied me and said I got one when the minimum wage went up. They did give me a dollar extra when they rehired me for the 4th time, but that was hardly an increase considering that the amount of work I was doing for them was almost equal to the entire job – as in, I basically did almost all of the work for them and was basically the only employee they had. All of the work entailed keeping in touch with old clients, gaining new clients, answering all emails and voice mails, doing the sales reports, helping with the tax reports to a degree, cleaning up their main office, doing all paperwork needing aside from sales reports that pertained directly to the client's needs, as well as managing the inventory from the clients. I also posted things to the online store and did the shipping and handling at some points. Aside from this, I also helped them with their side business and their kids.
The last time I was fired, they hired someone brand new for three dollars more than I was making without telling me they even did this. I only found out when I came over to finish up a spot of work they had for me before letting me go because I met the person and spoke to them. I also found out about their wages while searching for jobs when I found the listing that they had hired the new person from which said the wages offered.
This person is now no longer working for this employer and I suspect it is due to them realizing that the employer has a lot of problems and that the amount of work is not worth the amount offered even at the increased pay they got above my pay. And I know they left because my old boss messaged me and asked me to retake my old shifts since they can no longer take them.
I admit I am truly frustrated with this, but I am literally about to potentially be evicted next month and feel trapped in that I have to accept it. I know I am going to try and negotiate for at least the price the other employee got, but my god this situation is awful. And the worst part is, this employer knows I am in desperate need.
I might need to buy a wig for all the hair I'm going to be pulling out.
Edit for necessity:
I have been looking for work continually, and actually, the entire time I worked for this person I was putting in apps, though admittedly not as many as I was doing whenever I was between jobs. I even held a couple jobs between when I was fired, though those jobs usually ended up shortlived due to being contract work that ended, or for instance when Covid hit and the job got furloughed (that sucked, I was making good money there but when I reapplied they denied me, rip).