Job woes... help? Advice?

haffajappa

Im a uni student trying to do it without debt, so I work 2 jobs and go part time... but this summer will be the big push to save up enough money for school for the nxt 2 years so I can go fulltime in the fall.

I'm currently looking for a third job...Then...
Last week was my birthday and the gift i got? The school board decimated the contracts of nearly everyone in our program - including possibly my mom's (who has been teaching there over 30 years!); luckily I found out the class I'm a TA in is one of the few salvaged...
Okay, job 1 is ok.

Tonight i'm at job 2 (where I have worked for the past 4.5 years, gone under 2 previous owners, basically run the entire shop by myself (3 different counters, like 10 different operations) and have set up amazing customer relationships with our patrons over years... New boss just tells me he is lowering my wage to minimum... AS IF... I'm the one his new employees call on my nights off when they need help, I'M the one who has made all the user guides for eveything that goes on in here, I'M the one who works solo and essentially does the work of 3 employees at once...

Not only that, but he has been reducing my shifts... its not worth my time to work a 3 hour shift, but i don't say anything about labour standards (he technically has to pay me for 4 hours) because i'm too nice.
Well Enough is enough I think...

So what now? I say not to lower my wage so he'll probably not give me any shifts. I quit and then I can't get severence.... Trying to figure out the best way to leave where I get some sot of reumbusement... any suggestions? Or am i just scewed?

Sidnum

So job no.2 is part time as well?

Who Princess

Sounds like he's trying to make your life miserable so you'll quit. :x Who knows why, sometimes new bosses like to clean house and get "their own" people even when it means getting rid of experienced, capable employees. :crazy:
Is it legal for him to reduce your pay?

Drowned Out

whoa. I think you'd have a pretty good case for constructive dismissal, or some other labour claims. I'd look into it to see your options....if you do have a legit claim and decide not to bother, at least you can threaten him with it as leverage...what kind of severance are you expecting from this job tho? I don't think I'd get more than a weeks' pay at mine and Ive been there five years...honestly, if he's threatening you with minimum wage....your resume sounds more than adequate to get a better-than-minimum wage job? Is the job market too tight there to just move on?

tvismyfriend

I wonder if the increase to minimum wage has anything to do with your pay cut. What I've been hearing is that even people already over the new wage increases will still receive a bump. I guess we won't know for sure until May 1st.

haffajappa

Yeah..
Apparently the government (fed or prov i'm not sure) reduced the minimum hours to 2, which means my 3 hour shifts are legal (once again a win for the big guys, thank you Mr. Harper and Mr. Campbell!)

I'm going to contact the labour board tomorrow to see what my options are.
If anything it is really a shame. Between me and the last employee (who quit 2 years ago fo other reasons) we bring in a lot of customers, we always have people who say they wouldn't come if we ever left. It's a neighbourhood shop and like I said, i've grown close with the customers. I think its a dynamic the new boss just doesn't understand. This will hurt him, I'm sorry to say.