Harder than what I thought

Today was my first day back as a "red shirt". It was hard to put the uniform on and head to work. Before today I kept saying, "It will not be that bad." Well then it really hit me how much it really was bothering me. I had a lot of sympathy from my co-workers who all thought my situation was pretty crappy. I wish that AMC Home Office would have realized that the reason why the theatres who were getting good audit scores was because of the Administrative Assistant. Oh well, it is out of my control and I am working with what I have. I was schedule 4-11pm in Guest Service today. Not the ideal place that I like to be on a Friday evening, but whatever. It was slower than what anyone had thought due to having enough coverage for employees. I looked down at the clock around 6pm and realized that I had been on the clock for only two hours. I felt as if I had been there for at least 3 or 4 hours. I was hoping that I would get a break today so that I could eat some type of dinner. Well I forgot that according to CT State Labor Laws, an employeer who is not union does not have to give a meal break unless the crew member is working for 7.5 hours. Those crew members who work 7.25 hours qualify for a 21 minute non-paid break. Because AMC being so cheap they will schedule crew members just short enough so that they do not have to issue a break or enough to only have to give a 21 minute break. I mean come on...if you are going to have someone sit off the clock for 21 minutes you might as well give someone a full 30 minute break. I find it frustrating...but what can I do? I guess I spent too many years working in Oregon where a crew member gets a paid 15 minute break every 4 hours and one unpaid 30 min break with every scheduled 8 hour shfit.

I do not know how I can last as a red shirt. I am in a bind though. If I try and find something else...then I have to let the employer know that I need a week off in late June for my China trip, and then the first weekend off in June for my trip to Oregon. I have told myself that I will stick it out until my China Trip and make another evaluation from there. By then my theatre should have a new General Manager and so things may change. We can only see.