Wages up at newspapers

(Inland Press Association)
Newspaper industry wages increased an average of 2.1 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to the recently released Newspaper Industry Compensation Study (NICS), conducted by the Inland Press Association, a 124-year-old association of North American newspapers.



Now I'm sure they're not including the people who went from whatever they were making to zero after getting laid off or having their paper shuttered - but even a 2.1 increase seems like a lot considering the chain-wide furloughs and across the board pay cuts.

Am I wrong?

 

The folks laid off made less than the folks who laid them off. Ergo, the average wage increased.

 

My salary freeze begs to differ.

 

Hmm. Mine went down 7.5 percent.

 

This is the only possible way the formula works, but I'm still not sure I buy it.

 

Also, if they're going by hourly wage, furloughs get taken out of the equation since those aren't hours you're working.

There are still plenty of union contracts which haven't been changed, and I presume all of those include an annual pay jump of some sort. I know at my shop, people continue to advance up the pay grid, and with the lack of jobs elsewhere we're seeing a lot more people higher on the grid than ever before.

 

Ergo, bullshit.

 

Who on this board got a wage increase this year? Interested in knowing. This survey sounds like BS.

 

I got my annual pay raise last fall, but I won't be getting it this year.

 

... brought to you by the same bunches who cooked circulation numbers and believe the term "rightsizing" helps spin issues.