How do I deal with senseless workplace drama?

No matter how hard you work, no matter how dedicated and loyal, griping about your job to your colleagues at work can be construed as 'fomenting discontent.'

Most everybody complains about their jobs, now and then - that's what friends are for. "Friends at work" are hard to find. They're the people you'd continue to see if you got another job, and I'm guessing these folks aren't that.

Your boss may feel you were being disrespectful by complaining to other behind his back.  Obviously now that you know your coworkers are a bunch of tattle-tales, be careful what you share with them.  If you are truly overwhelmed, you need to sit down with your boss and tell him so.  If you can come up with a solution to the scheduling issue, it would be even better.

Look at it as a lesson learned.  You now know your coworkers cannot be trusted.  Many workplaces have at least 1 person around whom one must watch what they say, or that person will make a beeline to the boss.  Keep your work demeanor approachable and professional, but never make any comments which can perceived as negative around them.  

I stay away from it as much as possible. I have a saying, save the drama for your mama. No one wants drama in the work place. 

If you were feeling that way, you should have told him instead of your co workers, he can fix the schedule so you're not so overwhelmed. By whining about your schedule to your co workers, you're creating the drama. They don't want to hear it, which is why they went to your boss. If you have issues with any thing bring it up with your boss, not your co workers. Your boss can usually fix issues, your co workers can't. 

Grow a thicker skin and realise your co workers are just co workers, not your friends,,,,,,,,,, friends are people you meet in your leisure time away from work

You do your job to the best of your ability. 

You say very little to your coworkers.  Keep coworker conversations on fairly neutral topics - like "how are the kids" or "did you have a good weekend" - avoid work topics unless it must be discussed because it is related to the current task.  Don't make any comment that could be taken as a negative comment about the company or the managers.

Then you spend any time off that you have looking for another job.  But, I can tell you that things like that happen anyplace you go.  What you are describing sounds so close to something that happened to me it makes me wonder if the manager that left my company is now your manager.  

I have been at my company for almost 30 years.  I had a perfect record until about six years ago when management made some major changes.  Then there was a situation in which a few coworkers decided to become company snitches and repeat anything you said (often changing it slightly).  I somehow managed to end up on the bad side of the current management team and honestly thought I would end up fired.  I survived the struggles - the plant manager ended up being fired (I celebrated that night) - new management came in - and things calmed back down.  I am still nervous sometimes but I am not about to give up nearly 30 years in one company - (and a good pension plan and vacation time) over something that is now calming down again.  Sometimes you just need to keep your head down and stick out the bad times.  Usually, the people causing the issues will eventually be gone.

Changing jobs might get you in a better situation - or it could end up being worse.