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.