I'm (34M) an adjunct teacher at an art school, currently teaching one class this semester. The rest of the time I'm a freelance illustrator and I make a decent living.
Recently, an art school friend and fellow freelancer (28F) got offered a last minute teaching gig at the university for the rest of the semester, filling in for another adjunct who sustained an injury. The only problem–they offered her $45/course hour while I was offered $63/course hour when I first started. According to the administration, pay rate is determined by amount of experience both professionally and teaching.
She and I graduated in the same class and have nearly identical experience, both teaching and professionally, yet they were offering her 66% of what I make.
I gave her permission to cite me by name when asking for a higher wage before officially accepting the position. They spent the whole day today stalling (first class she'd be teaching is tomorrow) and then informed her that they were going to go in a different direction–my best guess is they found someone else they could get away with underpaying.
At this point I am fucking livid at how they're treating her and seriously contemplating quitting over this.
A few minutes later, the administration e-mails me saying they want to have a meeting tomorrow over a “recent incident” that involved me. I am SO. FUCKING. PISSED. The idea that they would treat a colleague like this, try to gaslight her into thinking she's worth less than a male colleague, than try to fucking reprimand me for sharing my wages, is just so incredibly beyond the pale, I'm at a loss for words.
I VERY MUCH want to just tell them off and quit on the spot during our meeting tomorrow, but I don't know if I'm A) Being kind of rash/crazy or B) if there's some better way I can get back at them for treating people like this