Buckle up y'all, there's a lot to unload here…
I've been working at the same company for almost 4 years now( I tend to change jobs every few years as better paying opportunities present themselves)driving class B construction trucks. It's a good company to work for, good pay, insanely good low cost insurance… The one downside is that they pay everyone the same no matter how long you've been there. So, I'm making the same pay as someone who's been there 25 years, other than an annual percentage raise. And after almost 4 years I'm only making about $1.50 more an hour than when I started.
The hours are crazy: never knowing when I'll get off until an hour before, and not knowing what time I start the next day until I clock out the day before. I could work anywhere from 12 to 60 hours a week.
Now recently my company acquired a new supply branch and asked me to help get the place up and running until they could get more people hired to fill all the spots need, up to 8 or 9 people. It's stable hours and they offered me a premium pay since it's an hour drive from my house.
Things went well, and I quickly learned how run all the equipment in the supply and fabrication shop, all within a week…. some of the equipment, I was told, usually takes months to learn…. I did it in a few days.
I've made myself indispensable there, and even trained the new guys they hired on the equipment as well as making deliveries in the region.
Here's where the BS come in…. they wanted me to stay there permanently, since you know, I can run everything…. but offered to pay me $3 less an hour then I was making before…. I forgot to mention, the guy they put in charge of this place has no manager experience, and knew nothing of the product we work with there( basically a salaried policy enforcer).
I told them there was no way in hell I was taking a pay cut especially since I'm driving and hour one way with the gas prices we have now. Manager said it wouldn't be fair to the other guys in the shop since they were all going to be paid the same. I told him I didn't care about being fair, I've been there longer, am driving from farther away and can do more than the other guys. I finally got them to agree to $0.50 more than I was making, but told not to tell the other guys what I was making( I know, big no no). I tried to get a sales position that came open, since I had a very good reputation with all our contractors, but was passed over for someone who one of the upper management guys went to church with….
I'm at my wits end with this place and I'm tired of doing bottom level labor…. I don't know what to do anymore….. any advice or help?