Honestly, it sounds to me like there is a rather complex political environment there that you are clueless about. You might be a pawn in a war between your CEO

Honestly, it sounds to me like there is a rather complex political environment there that you are clueless about. You might be a pawn in a war between your CEO and your boss. You might actually be working for terrible or incompetent people. The point is, it's probably NOT about you, although it could be. Is this in the USA? Europe? Lowering your salary is actually legally troublesome in a lot of places, and you may be able to seek legal help. I know in the US your state's Department of Labor (or equivalent) usually LOVES to hear these stories and crack down on these sorts of employers. Ironically for this site, I don't know how California works with this stuff.