Beth
Yes we are and that's what professionals do - whatever it
takes to get the job done. Doctors and lawyers are much more regulated
professionals that museum staff. They have organizations that enforce
professional standards. Few of them work a tidy 40 hours a week between 8
and 5. Many people in private industry work in excess of 40 hours a week
on a regular basis to get the job done. Most people in museums with
management duties are exempt employees - all the way from director to registrar.
Exempt employees do not get overtime pay. The compensation they get for extra
time varies from organization to organization.
The threads that lead to the points
that alarm you were from job seekers (volunteer or paid). To me it does not
follow that with tight budgets and many job seekers we should start
agitating for better hours for exempt employees. Those of us that put in
the hours did it to get where we are.
My inclination toward organizing would be to impose standards
in the field as to what constitutes a "professional" so far as museum work goes
- to establish minimum standards regarding knowledge and practice.