Boss drops employee's pay from $12 to $9 an hour after coworkers find out how much they make, claims it was to “make this fair”: ‘ We have to bump people down’

Author image for Cata Holmes
Cata Holmes • Writer
Aug 29, 2026 2:30 PM EDT

If mentioning how much you make leads to earning less, "making things fair" starts sounding like the opposite of fair.

I'm convinced that some managers don't know how to be a manager because they get very scared and nervous about confrontation. This story was posted in r/talesfromthejob, and the OP mentions that suddenly his boss cut his paycheck by $3 an hour because they were talking about some coworkers' salaries, and that caused some problems at the store.

Apparently, some people were complaining to the owner that they don't make as much as this person and were asking for a raise. I guess the situation was kind of uncomfortable for this man, who decided to cut this person's salary instead of setting boundaries or giving a fairer explanation as to why they make more than the rest. To keep the peace among the employees, he made that decision, leaving the employee asking what to do.

That's what I mean when I say that some managers don't know how to do their own job…

Firstly, a good manager should be on top of all of their employee's work and know exactly how much they work, how good they are at their job, and as a consequence reflect that on their salary. If the OP is a good employee and knows how to do things, I think it is fair that they make more than the rest. So, the next time people come and ask for a raise, he has some good arguments to defend the other people's wages.

Now, that being said, what's up with the coworker's attitude? I understand that maybe they were disappointed that this person was making more money, but mentioning this to the owner of the store is a lot, because they were snitching on them and revealing they were having a discussion about salary and work conditions… and I'm sure they know this usually doesn't look good when talking to management. 

Anyways, this story shows a lack of empathy and ethics across every member of this store, and multiple people need some serious talk about morals and how to defend the current conditions.

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  • Store employee stocking shelves while using a tablet to check inventory.
    via Unsplash+ (via Getty Images)

    Store employee stocking shelves while using a tablet to check inventory.

    Individual pictured is a model used for illustrative purposes.

  • my paycheck fell extremely short this week. so i got with the store manager (the owners son) to figure out why. i was making $12 an hour and had 35 hours, but a $262 check.
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  • he told me "you shouldn't be making $12 an hour." when i started, the owner, his father, started me at $12 bc the start pay is based on experience.
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  • i told him this, and he said he would have to get with his father about the pay, because he doesn't handle things like that. he did get me my pay stub for
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  • the week though, we have to request them. i saw $9 per hour on there.
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  • i immediately called the owner. the owner said he had no idea what was going on, and then said "have you been talking to people about how much you make?"
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  • i said "yeah the cashiers and some managers know my pay, why?" and he said "why did you tell them?"
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  • "because they asked me." "it's none of their business what you make." "i don't mind, it didn't offend me."
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  • "well, when you tell people your pay and others make less than you, i have people coming to me complaining that you're making more than them and they want a
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  • raise. so to make things fair we have to bump people down to make it seem fair to others." i immediately knew this was illegal as h_l and said "you cut my pay because i told people what my pay was?”
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  • Store worker helping a customer with her purchase inside the shop.
    via Unsplash+ (via Getty Images)

    Store worker helping a customer with her purchase inside the shop.

    Still frame for contextual reference only.

  • "i never said that." "but you said we have to bump people down to make it seem fair to others?" "no i didn't, i don't recall saying that."
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  • oh. my. god. he ended up spiraling and turning the convo. towards "we pay people based on attitude and work ethic ect." i said "i would surely hope so."
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  • and we ended the call. i had no option but to stay the rest of the shift, only making $9 an hour i cant afford to leave. no jobs nearby, i live in a rural area. have ep psy so that cuts out labor jobs and factory jobs. i dont
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  • know what i'm going to do. i live by myself, have health issues and a cat that also has health issues. i don't have the call on recording so theres nothing i can do legally.
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  • did i mention the owner was the previous mayor of the town i work in and just got elected as the agricultural commissioner?
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  • and he also refuses to pay people time and a half so he withholds their pay and slowly adds the extra hours to checks where they're an hour or two short? politicians man.
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  • Northwest_Radio Well, Mr. Owner, sir, I think I'm going to need $14 an hour going forward. I think that would be sufficient enough to keep this little mistake from becoming a liability and would keep it between us. Fair?
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  • jeffbell They can't reduce pay retroactively. You agreed to 12. Call the state and report wage theft.
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  • Various-Conference27 Everything in that is illegal and shady af
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  • Store employee checking a product while working in a store aisle.
    via Unsplash+ (via Getty Images)

    Store employee checking a product while working in a store aisle.

    Image for illustrative purposes.

  • kennyPowersNet Honestly don't understand why some people in your country believe in and are fine with your labour laws
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  • quigilark This probably won't help you right now, but after you find a new job, I'd talk to your local news. I bet they'd love to hear about the agricultural commissioner is backpedaling on paying employees.
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  • Reasonable_Mood1288 Its illegal to cut someones pay without first notifying them of doing it.. according to google.. so.. do with what you will on that information.. its all I have to offer. Best of luck.
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