I had been working at a local plumbing company for a little over 3 years (felt like 20). Made it through multiple rounds of layoffs which resulted each time in fewer and fewer positions until it was just myself running the office. I had more or less been desensitized to this but what really disturbed me was when the pandemic hit , the owner decided to 1099 all the plumbers. Nothing changed; they had to wear the uniform, work when we told them to, and how we told them to. What little benefits they had were stripped and most did not even understand exactly how much money they were making due to the complexities of the pay structure and unknown future taxes to be paid. They had to pay the owner for use of the company vehicle which was not optional. They had to pay for their own materials to do the work. Most of the guys did not even understand the arrangement, they just understood that if they wanted to keep their job this is what they would have to do. Keep in mind there was no slow down for plumbers during the pandemic. The business was considered essential and was never shuttered a single day and business was great as people were at home using their indoor plumbing at far greater rates.The real icing on the cake was the great Texas freeze and the companies willingness to swoop in and take advantage of whomever they could by lying, manipulating, and thieving their way to a quick buck. I had had enough. Our city was in the midst of a crisis with more work to go around than all the plumbers in the city could even handle yet this company still could not manage to fly straight and do things with honesty or a shred of integrity. I quit, walked out on the job in fact. Never even had a conversation with the owner about why I did it and he never cared to ask. I started growing mushrooms in my home to build a business. I’m now selling in farmers markets locally and in some shops. I don’t make much money but what I do I can feel good about. I will never ever again put myself in a position of compromising my values.