anyone else a slave to the big man?

Unless Hemi has a written employment contract (most people don't) with specified terms and conditions outlining working hours, the employment is considered to be "at will." That means that he or his employer can terminate the employment at any time for any reason, or for no reason at all. Unfortunately most labor laws are written to provide more protection for the employers than the people who work for them.

Ouch. I thought most jobs had such things. I mean, obviously I know a lot who don't, but those are mostly farmers. (I know a lot of farmers). Then again, pretty much the only jobs I have inside knowledge on are farming, engineering (for the federal gov), and nursing :|