One thing we must always keep in mind: if someone is willing to take the
job a such low pay, the situation will never change.
------
Robert Handy
Brazoria County Historical Museum
museum_bob
[log in to unmask]
http://www.bchm.org
----------
From: Ross Weeks[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 1998 10:09 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: The Value of an M.A. - $7.25/hr?
<<File: ATT00001.html>>
I think this makes the point. It's the senior people, where they exist,
who are being paid a salary sufficient to retain them (but not necessarily
to recogize their worth, their education, their stresses, their supposed
lack of any tenure agreement). And to me, a PhD in English qualifies one
to lead a museum just as effectively as a PhD in history, art, what have
you. We are in the knowledge industry, perhaps we forget it.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jackie Hoffman-Chin <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, July 29, 1998 8:00 AM
Subject: Re: The Value of an M.A. - $7.25/hr?
I promised myself that I would not get aggrivated today, but after
reading about the low, low prices being paid for M.A. level workers I just
had to take some TUMS.
A quick sob story (mine) about the payscale of museum work.
I took the job in a New York historic house museum which must remain
nameless. Having been born here in NY (the museum mecca) I of course tried
to find work in my own backyard. The job paid 15,500 with no benefits. It
was a demanding administrative position made harder by financial crisis
after crisis. Leaky roof, no heat, deferred maintenance, deteriorating
collections, etc. After 3 months of humiliation at the hands of the
Executive Director, the Board of Directors, and even the President's
daughter (who was given a make-work job) I was told that my contract was
to be terminated after 3 more months.
Now comes the awful confession: while helping to prepare a grant
proposal, I discovered the education and current salary of the Exec. Dir.
(PhD in English and $60,000).
I suppose this is a type of triage. Either get the new roof, or keep
the well liked and very personable Exec. You can't have both. You also
can't get a well trained and motivated (next generation) of personnel if
this keeps up.
Bitter? You betcha.
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