Companies are always going to look for ways to save on salaries ( and any other cost ). In this economy the employee doesn't have a strong position unless their skills are rare. Since many these days seem to think that "collective bargaining" ( some form of Union or Association ) is socialistic or evil, it's up to the individual to get what their worth.

Male or female, people should earn what their worth, generally according to prevailing averages for their skill and location. Now, I'm seeing another area besides gender where some aren't earning what their job would normally provide. This is the "acting" expert. In other words, someone male or female who has been doing the job but never got the title or salary.

This is a great deal for management. The carrot is that if you keep doing the job in "acting" or unofficial capacity long enough, including the nights and weekends, you'll get the title and salary "someday."

This is the situation I find myself in. For a variety of reasons, ( e.g. paying off my mortgage this month ) I now feel in a position to put my foot down on this . So I'm announcing that I'm "out of town this weekend" more and more when weekend production/database tasks come up.

Sure, they can just appoint someone else, or even hire from outside the company, but at some point you have to maintain your self-respect and force the issue on companies that are "behaving badly."