Is it discrimination if your hours are cut because you have the highest pay? I just recently went back to the company I used to work for, but am working in a different store. Every week my hours are being cut. I don't see the manager very often because she is usually gone before my shift starts. Today I went in on my day off to talk to her and ask her why my hours are being cut and everyone else is staying the same. She told me it is because she has to cut back on payroll and because I make the most money per hour, she had to cut some of my hours. I told her it's not fair, especially because she has two employees scheduled for overtime this week and last week. She told me she would start giving me some of my hours back next week when sales go up again. But I'm thinking when sales go down again, so will my hours.

So tomorrow I will be giving our general manager a call about this. I'm already looking into a transfer because from what I've heard about the manager, she will retaliate against an employee that goes behind her back to the general manager.

I'd like to say that maybe she should look at productivity. Does she get more bang from her buck by having you work because you work harder?

It makes little sense to have people working overtime because they have to be making more per hour on overtime than you on straight time.

I doubt you could prove discrimination simply because as a manager, I think she has the right to staff as she sees fiscally fit.

I would talk to the general manager and ask for clarification of the store policy and ask for confidentiality. I doubt you'll get it.

Above all keep your cool and act like the professional you are. You've earned answers from the GM because of your status with the company.

I work just as hard as everyone else, maybe even harder than some. I understand having to cut back to save the store some money. I have been in management for the past 6 years, 4 of those years with this company, so I know how it goes.

My problem isn't that my hours were cut. My problem is the reason my hours were cut and others weren't. By her logic, unless they start paying someone more than me, I will always be the first one to lose hours. She claims that she tries to be fair to everyone. So instead of just cutting me, why couldn't she cut one hour from everyone? I will be losing 8 hours this week while she has one person working 10 hours overtime and another doing 5.

I will get straight answers from the gm. We go back nearly 10 years together. My only concern is that I don't want the manager to think I'm going to him just to get my way.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but the working world isn't supposed to be fair.  The bottom line for the manager is the dollar…that's how the free market works.  Your manager has every right to utilize he employees as she sees fit.  Your only choices are to quit or take the American way and sue or start a union.

Does it suck? Yes….

With that being said, if she is really trying to save money you might very well be making more than they do, even time and a half, in which case it would be more fiscally responsible to pay them the over time then you the straight time…..

If a person makes $8 and hour and you make $12.25 they would still make less than you on over time, even if it is only a quater. In the end, this would save the company money.

Still talk to the GM though. At least that is my opnion.

That's the thing, though. With overtime they make more than I do. I don't know how much they make per hour, but I'm sure it's more than minimum wage. But let's just say each of them only make the minimum of $8/hr. With overtime it comes to $12/hr.

I did have a talk with the gm. He told me he would speak with the manager, which I'm sure he did. But I don't think it did any good because even though I got one hour back, everyone else got to keep all their hours, including one person with overtime. I guess I'll see what happens next week and then I'm off to another store.

And Richard, I would sooner quit than sue. Not worth the time, money, or effort. Easier to say, "I quit."  :-)