Raise refusal into receiving a <$0.50 raise???
For prior context, I live in IL so minimum wage is $16/hr. I have worked with HyVee for 7 years, 6 years at one store and just started at this new store a little over a year ago. At my last store I made $17/hr after fighting tooth and nail for a raise as I was never given a merit or conversion raise ever in my time with the company across all positions I've worked (AOL, meat department, nightstock).
When I started with this new store, the then-HR told me it would be "impossible" to give me $17/hr despite that being my last rate at the other store in town. My car broke down at the old store and it took a few months to get a new car, so I had ultimately given up my position and took a break to be with my son during that period of unemployment and explained this to her when she asked. I told her I was not willing to go below $16.50. Some life circumstances happened and I had to accept this job at $16/hr but was promised by HR that I would be given a merit raise in a year, which at the time was what I had to come to accept because my only other option was to be unemployed.
Flash forward to my 6 month review, then-manager gave me beyond perfect remarks, expressed he'd love to give me a raise but couldn't which I said was fine and I know how the process works. He got fired not long after for unrelated reasons.
Flash forward another 6 months at my year review, now-manager gives me even better remarks and says he is really pushing for me to get a raise because I more than deserve it. I said thank you, that's all I ask for is a raise. I never received the raise. We have been rotating new employees like crazy, we can't seem to keep anybody in nightstock. About a month ago, one of the new employees asks me about my pay, I tell him I make $16/hr and everyone around us is shocked. He started less than a month before this conversation took place and he tells me he makes $16.50. At this point I am beyond angry because the first HR told me that it was "impossible" to be above $16/hr. I explain this to my manager, I plead with him to help me out because I don't know who our HR is anymore (we also rotate upper management like crazy, it's very dramatic over here). He tells me he will try, and that he's never seen a raise less than $0.50 so hopefully it'll be that or more.
Flash forward to now today - I am printing payslips to try and get welfare because none of my other job applications are working out and this store is becoming an issue, and I see that 2 days ago I got a conversion raise. The raise in question? $0.48. I am still the least-paid employee on our nightstock team, most likely the entire store, and I now make $0.02 less than any new employee that starts at this store in any position in any department.
Besides getting a new job ASAP, literally what can I do? HR works from home and ignores any communication. Has anyone had an issue like this? I feel like I'm going crazy trying to navigate this because my managers, HR and store director are all unhelpful and act like it is something that is out of their hands.