New Hire Talks to His Trainer and Reveals He Makes a Lot More Money Than Him, Leading to a Tense Discussion About Fair Wages

Salary talk can get awkward fast, especially when two coworkers are standing side by side and one of them has far more experience. In this Reddit story, a new hire ends up talking pay with the trainer showing him the ropes, and the conversation takes a sharp turn once the numbers come out.

The trainer has years on the job and expected to be paid accordingly, but the new employee says he is making $28 an hour. That revelation leaves the trainer stunned, frustrated, and suddenly very interested in why wage secrecy exists at all.

By the end of the shift, the mood is tense, and the fallout keeps going after work. Read on.

As it turns out, after four years of working in the company with extensive expertise and being the only qualified trainer, OP was making more than the trainer!

haveuinthescope

The trainer grew increasingly upset with OP as time passed and said, "This is why I don't discuss wages; it should be illegal!"

OP was astounded by the trainer's misdirected anger. He reminded him that just a minute ago, the trainer was more than happy to say he made enough.

Now that he knows the newbie makes more than him, he is upset that he is paid less than the employees he trains. OP suggested that the trainer should discuss all of this with the manager instead of defending the company.

haveuinthescope

That conversation did not stay casual for long.

The rest of the shift was tense, to say the least.

haveuinthescope

You can read the rest of OP's story below:

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The trainer was still upset about the conversation even after the project was finished, but OP saw him joking around with the manager later on.

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Even after the work wrapped up, the tension did not disappear right away.

haveuinthescope

OP tried to help the trainer by providing information about humane wage practices posted online, but the trainer declined OP's help.

When prodded further, the trainer said, "He ripped the manager a new one," and he feels completely violated. He also happily shared that management agreed to give him a raise when the new year comes.

haveuinthescope

The trainer seemed satisfied with this arrangement and was in a better mood, according to OP. He wished him well, and OP continued working.

haveuinthescope

"Pursue that money. Opinions don't pay the bills."

haveuinthescope

Other busy bees shared their own experiences negotiating for better pay...

TotallyNotMeDudes

... and how the company made unreasonable demands, but in the end, the workers had the last laugh.

TotallyNotMeDudes

Plenty of readers recognized the same pattern right away.

The kind of practice that keeps the revolving doors working.

Chronos91

The company knows this, right?

TotallyNotMeDudes

They thought too highly of themselves if they believe employees will stay when nearby competitors offer higher pay.

TotallyNotMeDudes

"Remember who the real enemy is, Katniss."

Kmnder

Class solidarity, my friend. Look above and see who needs to be held accountable.

blacbird

They're mad because people are holding up a mirror, and after years of abusing their bodies for work, they finally realized they are also severely underpaid.

Greenman_on_LSD

Companies know how powerful laborers are when they band together. It's easier to keep us compliant when we're competing against each other to survive.

BrainTrauma009

Period. End of discussion.

Z-Bee

That was the bluntest takeaway in the thread.

This is similar to the AITA fight where a brother who earns more claimed they should split family expenses equally.

Sheesh, that must have been one hell of a wake-up call.

RogueArson

Holy frick indeed.

KingWolf7070

They make you feel like it's your fault for not asking for a salary increase sooner.

ultra_violence071

What OP did was create an opportunity for the trainer. He saw it in the end; it just took him a while to realize he shouldn't be mad at OP.

SVTSkippy

The audacity! We love to see it! CC us on this email, will you?

Zupheal

It's the companies that banned wage talk in the first place. Now that we know why, we should most definitely discuss salaries with colleagues.

StranglesMcWhiskey

Don't be afraid to move to a new company when the right offer comes along.

haveuinthescope

Thanks, boss!

fookengruvin

We can't emphasize this enough: talk to the other employees.

Comedy86

Don't allow the company to create a divide between the workers.

Comedy86

Unionized employees share the benefits of being part of one.

JustThatOneGuy1311

I mean, there's no downside for the employees.

2Mango2Pirate

The manager's mistake caused a shift in employee wages.

castro524

And it led to a raise for all employees.

castro524

It's not surprising that the commenter only lasted a year in that company.

castro524

Oh, the horror! Why would you share how much you make with others in the same boat as you? Unthinkable!

BlackhandxVendetta

With the recent labor crisis and employees becoming increasingly empowered to demand the salaries they deserve, it's about time we forgo the notion that we should keep our wages a secret.

Only the companies and capitalists benefit from this divisive culture. The power lies in labor, but only if workers band together.

This story is not really about a mistake; it's about an employee empowering another employee. Never forget that you are providing a service to the company you work for, not the other way around!

Wait, it gets messier than wages, see how one AITA user argued about splitting bills with a richer friend.