I used to work as an archaeologist and there has been a movement among the
archys for some time to not accept less than X dollars an hour (depending on
the region) in an effort to increase the pressure on archy firms. The only
thing is most of these archy firms are on a contract to contract basis,
rather than hiring people for a specific position. It's a hard one to call,
but I definately think someone with an MA should make more than $30,000/year
(probably more like 35,000 to start).
Paula Johnson
Museology Grad Student
Univ. of Washington