Am I being taken advantage of by my employer?

Best advice I can give is be thankful you have a steady income right now. Many folks haven't received a raise in over 5 years, and many more are living off their savings right now while scrambling to find work.

If you're working, you've got a leg up on a good percentage of the populace right now.

Incorporate the business, or make it a limited partnership, or set up a profit sharing arrangement.

very true statement. but no one likes to feel taken advantage of, and i feel because the job market is terrible, i feel i dont have any leverage in the situation. i would just let it go and take what i'm getting, but i have another child on the way, and i'm not making that much to begin with. but i am very thankful that i'm working, which is what makes me feel bad for asking for more money.

No you don't have leverage, but there is nothing to leverage.

Business is doing poorly, but you are getting paid. You can't squeeze blood out of a stone.

The poor guy had to declare bk because of the economy and he is kept you on and continued to pay you. Consider yourself lucky -you are much more lucky than he is.

Yeah, but the personal bankruptcy affecting mtrxdj is suspect.

but the buisness end isn't doing poorly. we are actually doing better than ever. He filed for BK on his personal end. and believe me he is not in bad shape. he lives very comfortable so i know the money has to be there. the main question i'm asking is: if i were to become a partner, would his personal BK affect me?

that's the main question i want answered. it seems suspect to me to. i don't know why that would affect me.

I am not 100% sure, but if you are a partner - then you inherit anything impacting the business which could potentially be the bankrupcy ....

Sometimes even if it is a personal bankrupcy it could be due to the business - he wouldn't be able to file bankrucy unless he could not pay bills - has the bk actually been completed or is it in process?

what sort of bankrupcy is it? If you earn over x number of dollars you need to file a different type of bankrupcy (forget all the legal terms of them) - unless it is business related. If your have a personal business - then you can file personal bankrupcy for a buiness.

I'm wondering why a personal bankruptcy would affect the business at all.... unless he finances the business with his personal credit.

Is the business incorporated?

If the business is doing well, why did you say this?

i have not received a raise in about 2 years. our business hit a rough spot and we barely made it as a company.

If your rough spot was 2 years ago, having a couple of good years may not have made up for the bad times.

What is the worth of the company as opposed to 3 years ago?

Make a list of the problems. Have a quiet chat with both parents together. Raise your concerns quietly and clearly without getting upset. Stand firm. If you work overtime you want to be paid. If you buy something for the children you need to be recompensed and will provide receipts. You are having discipline problems with the child, and everybody needs to address that - Do not make threats, but ask that they address the issues on your list. Give it a month. Check off on your list what changes and what doesn't. If you are not happy, start looking for a new job.

In any partnership, the person with the upper hand in the negotiation is the one more willing to walk away.

That's why I said if it is a personal business - I know this first hand as we had a personal business.

And quite honestly - if you aren't happy with the arrangement - have you started to look elsewhere for work?

Based on what you've said, this sounds a little screwy.
I don't see what wanting to make you a partner has to do with giving you a raise, either the money's there or it isn't.
When you say the business hit a rough spot, was the business in trouble or was your boss having trouble?
This personal BK makes me wonder too, is your boss over spending in his personal life?

The job market is not terrible. You should not be falling to your knees saying 'thank you Jesus' for a terrible job by an employer who can't put 2 + 2 together: You get what you pay for. Don't reward people who try to draw blood from a stone. Don't reward hoarders, deceivers by trying to impress them. They're strategy is to keep replacing workers quickly. If you REALLY intend to remain in this position, the best strategy is to make yourself so valuable to the company that it would completely fall apart if you left. Then LEAVE. If you don't receive a raise after that point, then that indicates the ownership of the business is not serious, not prepared to deal with success, or unable to believe they deserve to succeed. This is the case for about 99% of businesses.