Guild salary question

[STLIrish]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I can't find it. So, a simple question for the union men in the room:
At a Guild paper, what does "top minimum salary" mean? If a paper has a top minimum of, for instance, $820 after 5 years, I'm guessing that means you'll make at least $820 a week after 5 years.
But is that 5 years in the business or 5 years at that shop?
And what happens if you don't have 5 years yet? Do they pay you ****? Or is it reasonably scaled up to that $820 rate? And what happens after you've hit the minimum? Are there usually raises built in based on years or service? Or merit? Or a mix of both?
And, you know that nifty top minimum salary chart the Guild has on its website? Does anyone know if there's a more recent version floating around (that one's from 2003)?
Yes, I'm talking with a paper, my first Guild shop, and trying to figure out the salary question. Any advice would be great. Thanks much.

 

[wickedwritah]

Depends on the contract, of course.

Generally, "years" are your years in the business, not at that particular paper.

It is scaled downward for less-experienced folks. At many places, there is a big jump once you get to years 4 and/or 5.

I have not worked at a union shop, but I've interviewed at a few and I've examined pay scales at some others just to see what the rates were, etc.

HTH.

 

[slipshod]

The company usually gives all the years in the biz when hiring. Now, we get the rare performance increase and the annual guild raise that is usually 2-3 percent. It's a pathway to great wealth.

 

[Bump_Wills]

And remember: The salary thresholds are minimums for the corresponding years of experience. You can, and certainly should, try to negotiate a bigger number. Once you're in the door, management has an aversion to massive raises, unless you're leveraging a better offer elsewhere or get a promotion.