Ms. Michaels:

     Please don't put words in my mouth.  I didn't say that,
     either, and don't (necessarily) think the two people in
     your example should be paid the same amount.  I could
     ask you to detail just how big the traveling exhibits
     would be in each case, whether they would travel to the
     neighboring university or to Europe, and a myriad of
     other questions to get the details required to state
     unequivocally what each should be paid.  We could argue
     details until we're blue in the face.

     -That's why Andy says we're too diverse to survey-

     All I said was that AAM could/should do some sort of
     survey to provide us with tools to use in our fight to
     get better wages.  My situation is that all our
     salaries (mine included) are set by the State
     Legislature - not by our board or management.  Our
     legislators would be much more impressed with economic
     survey figures than with "standards" imposed by some
     national museum group.  I could use figures which
     document what Museum workers are paid to illustrate our
     position in the national mix.

     I think we pay the same as museums in NY do (if the
     earlier parts of this thread were accurate), and it's a
     LOT cheaper to live here.  Maybe we pay more, but how
     am I to know unless someone with broad connections does
     a survey and provides me with definable results?  We
     have a collections curator position open right now,
     graduate degree required, which will probably be filled
     at about $23,000 and excellent benefits.  AND you get
     to live in North Dakota, too!

     So, is your point that we shouldn't "average," but
     should list every salary, identify ranges, tie
     everything to budget (but remember that your $500,000
     goes a lot farther here than in NY), or what?

     Chris Dill

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C. L. Dill, Museum Director
State Historical Society of North Dakota
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Bismarck  ND  58505-0830
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