Husband got messed around a lot over his teaching assignment for the summer semester (he's a grad student so the only income we get is his teaching assistantship - so every semester he has to have a teaching assignment).
They gave the Evolution class he had been promised to somebody else, after he had allowed his usual Genetics course class go to a friend who asked if he could have a go at it... this meant for a while we thought we were going to be screwed with no summer pay whatsoever. Then the university offered him a TA doing the Intro Bio lab and the contract stated $6,000 for pay. We were surprised as summer pay is notoriously crap and we usually get a measly $3,000 to live on over the summer, which isn't doable. Well, he signed it, all the necessary folks signed it and it was handed in a few days ago.
He just had it returned and was asked to initial next to a section that says he will be paid $4,500 instead.
He thinks IABU to ask him to find out what the legalities are before just going ahead and signing it. $6,000 would be enough for us to live on over the summer as it is about what we get the rest of the year, $4,500 would be a struggle (but is obviously better than normal so not horrific)...
What would you do? He is worried if he makes any fuss they could potentially not sign him for a TA in the Autumn Semester... I agree he shouldn't make any trouble, but still think maybe he should point out that it is the difference between a living wage for his family of five and that he thought a contract was legally binding?
Am I talking bollocks?