Being a dispatcher is good training for other management jobs, but a promotion would have been sideways into another department. Dispatcher and chief dispatcher go by seniority, and I had very little compared to everyone else there. I would have had to wait until they retired to move up!
With a sideways promotion I could become a station agent or trainmaster (an agent is in charge of a freight station, a trainmaster is in charge of a switching yard) or other departments. The highest job would be general manager, in charge of the whole district. But all possibility of advancement was blocked by the boss who didn't like me. He would have to give me a good recommendation and he wouldn't.
I will tell you that story. My boss (I will call him Jay) was one of the dispatchers who trained me and was later promoted to a slightly higher position. A new female dispatcher was hired (I'll call her Dee), she was a younger sister to the first female dispatcher. But Dee was not nice like her sister. She was pretty and used to getting her own way. She would come in late - that is a very bad thing - and she was sloppy when turning over her shift, not telling her relief what all was going on - again, a very bad thing.
Well, she and Jay started 'dating' and it was supposed to be a big secret. They were both single so nothing wrong with that but it was against the rules for a boss to date a subordinate. But it wasn't a big secret to us and Dee took advantage, more than before, and the other dispatchers were getting angry.
I thought I had a friendly relationship with Jay so I told him privately that he should be more careful. But he got angry at me!
In the next yearly review he wrote that I was absent too often - a flat lie because I had not taken any time off or even any sick days. I said it was wrong and he said it was too bad that I didn't keep my nose out of his business! No one heard him tell me that. But because of that review I was the only one who didn't get a pay raise and it stayed in my permanent record. He also found things to criticize and other ways to make trouble for me. It was then I started making plans to leave and you know the rest of the story. At the time I was so angry at him but if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have moved on to a better life!
I know I am writing too much, but the memories just bubble up!
Thank you for sharing that with me and the rest of other.. whoaaa.. I thought that something like that only happened in the movie, but You've experienced it. Now, I know why you'd better resign that staying with that cinemathic scene. I have a sister working with very bad boss.. but she keep her position because she has a little boy and her husband doesn't earn much, lucky that she knew how to get rid of stressful works. but it's nothing to compare with what you'be been through, Donna.
Wonder how they're end up with that kind of story line though. hey.. you can make a story about it later and really "go to the moon" and winning the lottery too.
Yes, too much drama!
I'm sorry your sister has a bad boss too. If he knows she must keep her job it is only worse. We would say he has her 'over a barrel' meaning helpless to do anything about it.
My husband also has worked for bad bosses. At one company they even told him they wanted him to quit because they wanted to hire someone who would work for less money and less vacation time. If they fired him they would have to pay for his unemployment. If he quit they didn't have to pay. (He did quit but only after he found a better job.)
So bad bosses everywhere and it doesn't matter if you are doing a good job for them. Lots of movie material! :-D