not getting a raise that was promised

You can chose to pursue legal action against your employer. A lawyer might take the case. But of course, your career at that employer would be essentially over. Even if a lawsuit (or threat of one) might cuase them to give you that raise, your relationship with them would be on horrible terms from now on. It's probably not worth it.

How much do you like your job in other respects? Sometimes it's worth giving in on something like this in order to maintain a good relationship with an employer when you like your job in other respects. Unions do it all the time when they renegotiate "give backs" into contracts. They "give back" things that they have obtained in the past.

If your job is worth keeping, I would recommend being nice about it and asking if they can meet your needs in some other way to compensate you for the broken promise. Perhaps they can improve your schedule ... or give you some extra vacation time or something. Sometimes it is worth compromising a little to maintain a positive relationship that will benefit you more in the long run than a little cash will at the moment.

If you believe that broken promises are a regular part of this employer's culture and not just a 1-time problem, then you need to consider whether or not your job is worth keeping. You might decide that you don't want to work for that employer any more -- in which case I would recommend being nice about it and maintaining a good relationship while you hunt for a new job.

llg

Thanks for your advice. I guess I'm so disgusted by this. I just need some time to think about it. So you really think a lawyer would be interested. I knew this was unethical, but illegal?

It would be a borderline case. Some people would consider what you have in writing as a binding contract. But there are no guarantees ... and even if you win, your reputation as a loyal, flexible employee would be ruined. They wouldn't want you working for them anymore and other local employers might avoid you as well. I don't think it would be worth it unless you have other career options that would not be hurt by your legal battle with this employer.

I think your best bet is to use this as leverage to negotiate some other benefit that would improve the quality of your life.

llg

I was lied to about my wage for my very first RN job out of nursing school. The hospital recruited several of us from our nursing program. We moved 100 miles to work at the hospital. We were told one week into our orientation that they were not going to be able to pay the wage they had told us when we were hired. They were decreasing the wage by several dollars an hour. I quit and moved back home. If they lied or don't stand up for a promise they made, particularly in writing in your case, how can they be trusted in other things?

It happened to me again about 7 years ago. A huge hospital hired me to work telemetry. After a week of orientation classes I found myself assigned to the GYN Oncology unit. I tried for a week to track down the person who had hired me without success. It was like she had dropped off the face of the earth although I was assured that she was, indeed in the facility--somewhere. After another week of being unable to have my complaint addressed I quit. Their loss and three weeks of my salary thrown to the wind.