So I'm first of all grateful that I at least have a job. I've been with my current employer for a little over 8 years. I do bitch work basically such as paint, repairs, lighting, etc. I get paid to travel throughout the state and go to different locations each day. So my travel is considered work time, if I go to a store that's about an hour and 40 minutes away I work about 5-6 hours then head home. I was recently told that the company was going to take that away from people in my department. I was also told I would not be compensated for mileage either. SO I'd be getting paid 16 an hour to drive around in my own vehicle that's a 2003, pay for all my own gas, and then drive home and sit in the 2 1/2 to 3 hours worth of traffic. To me that doesn't sound very legal right? I'm just curious as to what you all may think. I never signed papers or anything of that matter. Someone else I know in the same position,but a different area, said they took it from them recently and nobody would give him an answer on what was going on. 

At this point I need to maybe rethink my path and move on to something else but it's hard to find a job willing to pay me a bit more for the work I do. I'm extremely driven and really love what I do but I feel so under appreciated and sometimes I feel a bit discriminated against by people higher up in the company. I feel like I do so much work compared to others and get nothing good out of it. I like to feel like I matter you know? But anyways, if anyone knows any job openings in the maintenance/handyman field send me a message lol

I don't think it is legal. You need to check your state laws but they should be providing you transportation or covering the cost of using your vehicle. If nothing else, you might be approaching minimum wage with all the additional time and cost which if you fall below that, they are violating the law.

One other issue. Your insurance may not cover your vehicle being used for business. You may need to pay for an additional rider on the policy should you need to file a claim for something that happens on the clock.

Somewhere at work there should be a card from the state on the wall that talks about your rights as an employee. Get the name off that card for the people who can tell you more about your state laws. The card is only a summery and I am sure there is something involving people using their own vehicle for work.

Thank you Dena. I'm going to look into it more because they still haven't told us , which bothers me. I agree that it can't be legal at all. I figured if they were going to do that then they need to give us more money to cover the costs but supposedly there is no raise.

I could only see that being legal if they were going to raise your wages to cover the gas.

Perhaps you could go freelance? Represent yourself in the same profession? I know a few ex-joiners around my area that used to work for companies and then decided to just set up their own and charge their own rates. Being self-employed is tough but if you are as you say driven, it can be very rewarding to be your own boss in charge of your own stuff. (I am currently, and I love it).

The only other thing I can add is that those work expenses (such as fuel) would presumably be tax deductible. But it sounds like a crock, they should at least supply you with a company car if you're doing that kind of mileage while working for them.

Hope it works out for you! 

That essentially sounds like what one of my old jobs did when they wanted to downsize departments without terminating anyone. It was a sales job, and they had previously paid for mileage on top of a lump sum for gas allowance and a car insurance subsidy. They dropped mileage pay and the insurance subsidy, and capped the gas allowance at the national level. So in states where gas was expensive, you were really screwed. People quit in droves because they could no longer afford to go pursue leads. They would go to company provided leads, talk to neighbors, and call referrals, but that was it. It wasn't enough to meet quotas or to get close to the salary promised in the hiring paperwork since it was based on commission.

I'm not sure about the legality of it. If there is a way for you to get a hold of any paperwork you signed when you initially started, wages and other forms of payment (vacation time, mileage pay, etc.) should be listed somewhere. If you still live in the same state as me, call the Department of Labor & Industry. They also have email addresses for regional contacts on their website.

Look into local apartment complexes. The company that manages my complex is regional, and they've got 20+ complexes throughout the surrounding area. Almost always have postings for maintenance people. I believe some of them will also pay you more if you live in a certain mile radius and agree to be on call, or they will discount your rent if you're willing to move into the complex and always be on call.

Thanks for the advice everyone. We're supposed to be having a meeting next week so I guess I'll find out more then.

So a little update..

We had our meeting today and all of us are pretty much in disbelief and just down right distraught. I brought up if they were taking it away from us and our District Manager was like no the travel is still going to stay the same. After that then my boss was like so.. They are taking the position away and you guys have 6 months to decide on what you want to do. They said we could either take a Severance package or find a new position in the company. They act like their are a lot of positions but it's all management and that's something I am not good at, at all. Unfortunately I need the insurance and the money so I guess I need to suck it up and take what I can get. I'm really depressed.

Sorry to hear that man. If the insurance is good, I'd say find a position there that you could live with and job hunt on the side for something that would be a better fit. It's not ideal, but it keeps your benefits intact until you find something you like.

yeah, I don't know what to do. This is what I was passionate about, this is what I thought my career was going to be.. This was something I actually thought I had a talent for. I felt special and I felt like I was needed.. This helped me fill a void I guess. I'm not a narcissist or anything lol, I just always had that low self esteem and when I feel like i'm making a difference it makes me feel better I guess? Oh well, it is what it is and all good things have to come to an end at some point.