The other tittle is "research assistant" Yes, people with master's degrees do get hired as research assistants. I know one person who was hired by the Oklahoma Geological survey as research assistant while he was working on his M.S. in geology and he remained employed as a research assistant. "Research assistant" is his job title, or was.
How you are treated by someone else often depends on how you treat them, if you have no personal respect for the post-doc who is directing your research, why should that post-doc respect you. The post-doc has more life experience in academia than you do.
You don't HAVE to stay in academia. y\ou CAN go to work for the federal government I am assuming you are in the United States) or industry or businesses with master's degree. I talked to someone within the last month whose daughter got two bachelor's degrees and master's degree and her mother says she LOVES her job.
I have THREE bachelor's degree AND an M.S. in geology. Yes, i wanted to get Ph.D 18 and 15 years ago. but I would have had to apply and to another university's Ph.D. program AND be admitted and then i would have to MOVE to another state... I've come to accept the fact that i no longer have the physical stamina to get a Ph.D. and now my knowledge is OUTDATED because i haven't really kept up with academic literature. Even second master's degree may not be worth the investment of another 3 years of TIME, especially since i might end up in assisted living before i could graduate., and that master's degree program REQUIRES at LEAST 2 internships. In August, 2003 i was told by an assistant graduate college dean that if i wa NOT admitted into college degree program, the university did not need ow want me because Everyone was going back to school. that was !5 YEARS ago. That is still true TODAY.
You HAVE a job. Do you want to keep that job, even if you are doing SOMEONE ELSE'S research, or not just because you think you will be treated and not get the respect YOU think you deserve/ Respect is EARNED, not granted. You CANNOT DEMAND respect and kindness form someone else. I've had that happen TO ME, and it was the MOST INSULTING thing that I've EVER had happen to me.