I've run into a similar problem with a company recently that is basically a mirror of your problem... I was forced to resign by this company. The company I speak of is AVDS (Automated Voice & Data Solutions) ( http://www.avds.com/ )

I'm not the only one they have forced out, and in this market... Corporations with compromised ethics seem to be able to get away with this sort of behavior. Another guy they forced out is suing them for back pay, unpaid vacation and a few other things (last I heard).

I was forced to resign on Dec 22nd. Just 3 days before Christmas. I'm now penniless, and because of the market the fat-cats have crushed... I'm now finding it impossible to find another job. The sad thing is... AVDS is doing similar things to CUSTOMERS, not just to their employees.

I'm a Certified Interactive Intelligence, Inc. Telephony Engineer. I'm very good at what I do, and the customers I've worked with know it. I think AVDS simply wants to get rid of their top-paid talent to hire newly certified engineers willing to work for less than what us seasoned professionals are willing to accept.

The so-called Technical Support "Manager" (Michael Lavespere) while I was working there is an absolute control freak. Few (if any) of the customers like him, none of my ex-coworkers (from the original company, at least) like him. He has a propensity for lying and deceiving. He spends his entire day reading everyone's emails instead of trying to improve customer (and employee) satisfaction. Working there for the first three months or so was great... I worked from home. I have an entire office set up with several servers of my own that mirrored everything they could do in the office, but with much better results than they could have had with me in the office.

Unfortunately, from what I've experienced and heard from my ex-coworkers... Lavespere isn't the only one like this. Most, if not all, of the upper management are just like him.

I was available 24/7 and frequently received calls from customers directly because they knew that I could resolve their problems quickly. After all, I'd worked with many of them since 2006. I'm going to be writing up a nice long article about the company outlining the juicy details of the inner-workings of AVDS... Hopefully, I'll help someone avoid being put in the same situation I've been put in because of these jokers.

But either way... I feel your pain, just in a different way. Companies with compromised ethics need to be dealt with. Unfortunately, for the average person, it's not possible. We simply can't afford the teams of lawyers required to make these companies pay for their unlawful ways. All we can do is draw them out into the light for what they are and show the world just how corrupt and unethical they are.

There. My rant is done for now... Thanks for the opportunity to share my own experience alongside yours. Good luck with your situation... You're still better off than many of us!