#38 We don't know where OP is from so commenting on what is "legal" is impossible. If you live in America in an Orwellian-named "right to work" state, employers can pretty much do whatever they want. In fact, it's better to fire people "without cause" than "with cause" since you can go to court and find that the alleged cause is false. We need unions.

Go back, Climb on your boss' desk & take a shit & then piss on your shit. Then just walk away

LoL # 43 That would get your point across @ least

Yow, this sucks. Similar thing happened to me, such a slap in the face. I was a supervisor for a work program for underprivileged kids the past few summers. I hired them and mentored them in their jobs in which they typically did menial labor. Instead of hiring me for the supervision position again, even though I was requested back this summer, some idiot above me decided to call me and say I could work in the childrens work program scrubbing toilets because they hired their relative for the supervision position instead of me. I know overqualified people are working lower jobs in this economy, but it's just wrong for a company to shove you lower on the totem pole when you already proved yourself and worked your way up.

Was your job actually a professional position? or were you a middle manager for a regional company? Or worse were you a restaurant manager? If either is true YDI.

That sort of sucks, but considering how many people are out of work you should be thankful for the chance.

A lot of places if you lay someone off you can't hire anyone in that position for certain lengths of time... instead of taking the temp job i'd look into how long they have and if they're violating that you can go through the government to take action and get money....

#47 they worked for a temp agency. not a restaurant, not middle management... and even if they did, how would that mean they deserve it? I know that middle management is the first to go in an economic downturn, but anyone who held positions like that before our economy went to shit just took a job they were qualified for. Hell, if I had the chance to get promoted to that level back in the day I'd have taken it. All anyone back then saw was a higher salary, benefits, and an opportunity to move up in the company. No one could have predicted that two years later they'd be the first to get fired. Get off your high horse and stop acting like you're better than anyone else. You probably would have taken a job in middle management too, but I'm guessing you were never offered a promotion like that.

The reason companies can pay their employees less and less is because employees are selfish. They want to compete for jobs and salaries. All a company has to do is say "We got a job, but we'll only hire one person. Whoever asks for the lowest salary gets it". And there you have 100 people willing to go for precarious work. The problem is, in the end those who are hired don't get so much money. The solution is for everyone to say STOP when companies go to far. People should say "You either pay me decently or I'm not working for you". If everyone did this, companies would be forced to pay their employees well, otherwise they would have no employees. But no, people won't do this, they're afraid to give away the job to someone else... In a way I understand their position, but at the same time I still think that they are playing the game of the companies. They bring this on themselves in a sense. Anyway, complain all you want but until someone says NO to low salaries and bad working conditions things won't change. OP, if you did not take the job you have my admiration. If you took it, you deserve it. Sorry if I sound like a ****, but the problem affects all the workers. We ALL have to stand up together and say no to this crap. Those who will let their selfishness take over don't deserve bigger paychecks.

It happens alot, companies hire you and if you're a good worker, keep you, but then they see you getting raises and making more money (still a penny in what most of the hire-ups make), and they drop you so they can hire you back cheaper. That sucks...