I thought this was rude and very disrespectful too! She just wanted some information from some professionals in the field in a supposedly safe and respectful venue. Unfortunately, this is one of the problems with this emotional issue and this opinion is the same as many of museum corporate America. Unless we give our selves value, how can others value us. I am surprise that there is not a union for our profession. -----Original Message----- From: Verzuh, Valerie [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Tue 12/17/2002 12:35 PM To: [log in to unmask] Cc: Subject: Re: Pay scales A very bitter and rude reply to a simple question. -----Original Message----- From: William Maurer [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 8:49 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Pay scales Well, sometimes they are called volunteers! There is no such thing as being underpaid. You make what you are worth. If you do not like the pay, you leave or in your case don't accept the job. If there is someone who replaces you and takes the job immediately at your old pay and duties, then you were paid correctly. I feel that your note here is a sign of not checking the museum market at all, not looking even at the jobs on the internet. There must be some reason you want to stay at that particular place and position. Then, work out a comfortable agreement with the Director. If it is not satisfactory for you, then don't accept it. Look around. This is obviously your first job besides selling lemonade or cookies. Sorry, Melissa, you didn't touch my Christmas heart strings with this plea. Is it better than or does it appeal to you to be better than working at McDonald's? Realize you are not going to retire from this position. You need to learn the business and that means a satisfactory and happy position and hope later to make the big bucks. And if that is your goal - find another field. Hey, try full time fund raising or grant writing. These folks seem to be paid better than us poor museum guys and gals. Why don't you write out the job description and then work on it with the Ex. Director? (Find these job descriptions on the net.) Then you can go job point by job point in come up with some figure that makes the Director happy and you at least comfortable to use his shop to learn the business until you are ready to be promoted or find another museum. Of course the correct way to do this is to make your money in another field and then come back into the museum business when you can afford to work for the love of the job and not necessarily the money. Good luck and good hunting. C.F.William Maurer, Director - Gomez Mill House Tel (845) 236-3126 Fax (845) 236-3365 www.gomez.org "Could this old house but speak, it might justly echo for the present generation of Americans the Colonial maxim declaring freedom of conscience to every man, whether Jew, or Turk, or Papist, or whomsoever steers no otherwise than his conscience dares." The Craftsman, October 1909 ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).