I am a 37yo career bartender. I am currently 26 + 4. I am used to working long hours being on my feet without breaks or sitting for 8-10+ hours at a time. However, my boss who owns the place keeps scheduling me to close the bar, we close at 2am and then have to clean, count cash drawers and divide cash for our tips - on a typical Saturday when I close I do not leave the building until 4am.
I have told her repeatedly to please stop scheduling me to open at 10am if I’m closing the night before. I am not capable of working without adequate rest like I used to be before I was pregnant. She has basically ignored this. Fast forward to this past weekend: there was a festival which is the equivalent of St. Patrick’s day stan Irish pub. One of the busiest nights of the year. I closed by myself and did not finish until the sun was coming up. I texted her at 2am letting her know I was not even close to being finished and would not be able to be there at 10am. She did not reply until the morning. A co-worker offered to open for me and I made the final decision. She then proceeded to take me off a couple of my normal night shifts as some sort of punishment. Shifts where I did not have to open the next day, so there was no problem. They are my core money-making shifts and will set me back so much financially.
She also took me off the schedule in the beginning of April when I had to go to the hospital due to high blood pressure. I knew something was not right and had my boyfriend leave work to take me to the ER, and what do you know? I was diagnosed with gestational hypertension. I gave her doctors notes, all documents for my hospital visit (they had me stay for 14 hours to monitor my blood pressure and baby), and she proceeded to claim I was “faking it” and “being extra because I’m pregnant”. I have to take my BP twice a day at home and go in weekly for labs since this happened.
I cannot quit because I need to make money, I don’t have a choice. I just don’t understand why she has no empathy or compassion. She has 3 kids.
I feel like she is purposely screwing with me. I am one of the hardest working people at my job, I have never asked for anything and rarely take off work. She looks at people as numbers and it seems now that I’m pregnant and less useful to her I am being singled out and disrespected.
Does anyone have any advice? I am very much willing to take a legal route I just don’t even know where to begin.