Taking a quick look at the Museum Assoc. of NY 1999 salary survey (a wee bit
out of date, admittedly), it lists "Admissions Clerk" in the NY City Museums
section as having a median of $19,850 per year for full-time staff. That
works out to about $9-10 per hour. The survey doesn't address part-time
staff, though, and also doesn't address starting pay rates (what does an
admissions clerk at the Hall make after 1 or 2 years?). And the sample is
only 4 museums. I would predict, though, that there is no way most NYC
museums are paying part-timers near $9 an hour for admissions. I know our
institution isn't.

Also, I am sure I will be slammed for this, but while I agree they are very
important parts of visitor experience, I don't think paying admissions staff
more is necessarily going to improve either visitor service or lower staff
turnover. Admissions jobs are monotonous entry-level positions, and even if
you were paying $8.50 an hour your staff would still be leaving- for college,
summer camp, or for what are perceived as "cooler" jobs like working at
Banana Republic (where they get a clothing discount, to boot!). Perhaps
creating a way to shuttle your talented admissions staffers into other
slightly higher paying positions (admissions supervisor, or trainer, etc.)
might be a bigger enticement to stay than just paying more across the board.

Just my 2 cents. Also, as an aside, you might want to be careful about
publicly posting near-direct quotes of your Director's comments about
internal issues, which I'm sure he intends to be "off-the-record." I know you
kept his name out of it, but this is a big forum and you have to assume that
someone on Museum-L knows Alan Friedman personally or professionally... I
don't know how he'd react to having his comments publicly editorialized
without him knowing. Although for that matter, he used to subscribe to
Museum-L, so maybe he does know! :-)

Dennis
______________________________
Dennis Kois
Assistant Manager of Design
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York


>    A while back I posed a question to the group concerning the titles you
>use for your Frontline Admissions & Coat Check Staff.  I did this because as
>the Head of Admissions here at the New York Hall of Science, I wanted to
>change our current title of Cashier/Clerk to something that would show their
>value a bit more, as well as be more visitor friendly.  Many of you were so
>helpful, that now I have another request.
>    Since it looks as though I was successful at changing their titles, now
>I'd like to work on their pay.  Currently, our Cashier/Clerks (soon to be
>Admissions Service Representatives!) start at a rate of $6.00 per hour.
>I've been told that this can be significantly higher at other Museums.  Can
>anyone find out what your staff in a similar position make at your
>Institution?  When broached, my Director has told me that I should be glad
>that they're at least paid more than minimum wage (pretty much a direct
>quote).  For me, someone who knows how valuable they are, and how
>responsible they are for a pleasant visitor experience, that thinking just
>seems ridiculous.  I loose great people all the time who believe in our
>mission, and love the Hall, but are stolen away by the $8.50 an hour they
>are offered at the Gap or McDonalds.  I'd like to combat this if possible.
>    Any help you can offer will come with my sincere thanks.  Unfortunately,
>if I can't prove that many Museums offer their Frontline more than we do,
>I'm afraid this situation will never improve, and my staff will never be
>paid even close to what they're worth.  Again, thanks...
>

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