I've worked for my current employer for over 3 years now, full-time, with an annual-based salary. At my employer, salary-based employees are not entitled to any overtime compensation. However, the employees who were hired under a temp agency ARE entitled to overtime, since they are hourly-based. Full-time and temporary workers work the same amount of hours, overtime included. However, the full-time workers have more responsibility and are the project managers.

Because most of our staff is now temporary workers, the company wanted to increase temp salaries, to keep them on board. (We spend a lot of vested time training these people, to have them leave once finding a "real" job. Why the company just doesn't hire more full-time employees is a completely other subject.)

I was part of the discussion about the salary increase, when I learned that some of the workers would be making more money than me, plus continue to receive overtime pay. I questioned why I was not entitled to a salary increase, as I had put in just as much effort and labor and also was their supervisor (and also doing work for them to compensate for their lack of motivation or experience). I was told that there was a "freeze" on full-time employees to not receive any salary increases. There was nothing my manager could do for me.

I asked him if I could quit as a full-time employee and be hired as a temporary worker. My manager told me that it was not allowed for a full-time to be hired as a temporary worker. My only options are to continue in my position and work the ungodly overtime hours without compensation OR quit and get another job.

I've vested 3 years in this company and feel very discouraged. Do I have a legal case??