management expects you to participate by drinking with them, otherwise you are not a team player. your career and how you are treated is based on how much they like you (which is highly correlated to how much you attend these gatherings and 'participate'). you are supposed to get a say in what contracts you work but if its inconvenient for management then they will just let you burn out till you quit (or worse). it is also an open secret that the Cookeville location is one of the lowest paid in the company because its largest selling point is its cheap labor