anyone else a slave to the big man?

I work for a smaller privately owned transportation company. I'm on hourly but I'm always on call. My time off is not really mine. If a bus goes down, I'm going to work on short notice anytime night or day. Road call. There is no "at the end of the day". I can essentially work all the hours I want. And then the nonstop calls from drivers...
After 17 years the thrill is wearing off and good help is getting more difficult to find especially when the boss don't like to pay much. My right hand man is 73. One of the best real mechanics in my industry. I don't think he has ever complained in the two decades I've known him.