Grand Forks library still struggles to raise pay for workers
September 16, 2012 at 2:00 am in Grand Forks Herald
After the City Council denied its request for a 0.5 mill increase two weeks ago, the Grand Forks Public Library is moving forward with a city study’s recommendation for wage increases. Continue Reading
Who’s idea was it to report the heads’ remuneration in terms of an hourly wage? And how many hours do they represent? They are salaried, and not paid by the hour. Ms Jewett gives for Ms Wendt $44.92. Last week, Mr. Wild listed $91,000/yr. Neither is there any mention of the total package. The lower numbers seem to be an effort to make them more palatable.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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If you do the math, there isn’t a big difference. (You know, 2080 working hours in a year multiplied by 44.92 dollars an hour). Maybe some of the other places report wages that way. No biggie. The big question, however, was why the former director was allowed to opt out of doing wage comparisons so he would have known what the going rate was. Why did the board just let him do that? That’s the real reason for this tempest in a teapot.
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My point was simply taht the Herald writer used an hourly wage for employees that are salaried to come up with a lower-appearing number. How many people are going to bother to convert it to a per year basis?
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Do we know who of the ones mentioned make a hourly wage as apposed to a straight salary? I looked at the numbers but found no clarification of who did, or who did not.
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Why does the Library operate with a $45,000 reserve fund?
Since it is funded by the taxpayer i would like to think it is given exactly what it needs to operate and that is it.
With all this whining about pay i cant see where they have time to do their jobs as it is, if they have enough people to constantly whine about pay maybe they should release a few employees and divy up that saved salary.
Personally, i am so tired of hearing about it i wish they would close it downall together and throw them all out onto the unemployment line to find a job that pays what they think they need.
See if Wendy can find another job that overpays her for being a Librarian.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Sooo, the City has now authorized the Library to pay a private firm to do a taxpayer funded study on wages. I don’t suppose anyone will challenge the validity of that study, right? I can already smell the competing taxpayer funded private-study-talk brewing, and it smells like Grand Forks taxes leaving town.
I like the library, I use the library, I think it’s fine. I’m no supply-side-zombie, but if there is no problem filling the positions, let’s stop wasting money on studies and let the marketplace tell us when the wages are too low. Yes, I know this will get manipulated by those in charge of hiring, but that will be easy enough to catch.
If we are going to do studies, and hire people with Grand Forks City/County taxes; the firms hired, and library employees for that matter, darn sure better be from City/County of Grand Forks!
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Fire Wendt, divvy up HER salary.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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For someone who makes $44/hour, she certainly complaines a lot! Must be all the free time she has in between telling people to ‘Shhh, this is a library’
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They don’t need more money, they don’t need any raises… I’d rather flush my tax dollars down the toilet then have to listen to any more library BS. It is a records storage building with internet access for people who can’t afford their own.. it’s 2012… hello..
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So, if the wage study is used to increase wages shouldn’t it also be used to reduce wages. GFK is paying reference/catalog supervisors 133% the average and is paying the director more than average, but of course the survey will only work one way. The Herald article also jumps from comparison cities to different comparison cities making it impossible to actually compare anything. What should be compared is total wages based on similar size libraries. Maybe we have more employees doing less or less employees doing more. The Herald article is really poor reporting.
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This is really nothing more than another piece of herald propaganda in support of one of its sacred cows. Putting yearly salaries in terms of hourly wages in order to come up with a smaller figure is one example of that. Then to say the “library struggles” makes it sound as if Ms Wendt and Friends are pulling a boat up the Volga River. Perhaps if they were to abandon their anachronistic 19th century model of a library as a brick and mortar building with books, and enter the 21st century where most people are now purchasing apps, they might convince people that they are needed. Problem is, the new model would likely put Ms Wendt out of a job, which she seems to be aware of.
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Look at the top of this web page. See the library “brand logo”?
How much money did the Library Board waste coming up with a logo that looks like a tuckus in thong underwear, with explosive flatuence?
Why do they need a “brand” in the first place? THEY HAVE NO COMPETITION. Brand recognition is TOTALLY UN-NEEDED.
Maybe there’d be more money for salaries if they weren’t wasting the money they have on useless crap.
Gene and I are going to somewhat disagree on this topic. I just LOVE seeing and reading actual “Books”. The electronic counterpart leaves me cold.
I’d be on-board with some library improvements and increased funding…if I thought the funding wouldn’t be wasted on a new building when the building they have was SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to be expanded.
WHO decided it would be a good idea to sell off the adjacent land that was intended for future Library expansion–more parking lot, etc.? Oh, yeah…that was the LIBRARY BOARD.
When the administration is done by idiots, of course there’s going to be trouble in Paradise. Jeez, look at the City Council, the School Board, the Park Board…there’s lots of problems in this town.
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…Awaiting moderation.
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My condolensces.
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“Gene and I are going to somewhat disagree on this topic. I just LOVE seeing and reading actual “Books”. The electronic counterpart leaves me cold.”
No, not at all. My personal library has well over a thousand books. My reference was to what others are doing, i.e., using readers. If the library went totally on line, sold apps, and got rid of the building, they’d maybe turn public opinion in their favor. But Ms. Wendt knows that would put her out of a job. So she continues to fall back on the 19th century model.
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” coming up with a logo that looks like a tuckus in thong underwear”
Oy vey, I DO get a get a kick out of your sudden use of Yiddish.
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Thong underwear is Yiddish?
Who knew Jewish girls were so…interesting?
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“Tuckus” or more properly “tuchus” is Yiddish.
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Actually, I thought your switch to Yiddish was to celebrate Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana.
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Why don’t you find that out for us Schurkey. Find out exactly how much money they spent developing that logo.
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I mentioned the flatulent logo when it was released. My bit has been stolen!
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http://i47.tinypic.com/14b5bsw.jpg
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Good. I’m glad I’m not the only one.
I was a little afraid to post that, I figured folks would mock me by calling it a Rorschach test.
Awww…what the hell. It IS a Rorschach test. And I just seem to like Jewish girls.
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+1
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+5… Schurkey using sarcasm to make a point about a ridiculous situation. Aren’t we really talking about something that resembles the ASC lock out? Meaning, these library workers hired on to make a set wage, and now have decided they don’t like that wage and so are pressuring people to pay more for the same level of services? I say, if they they mean what they say…they all walk out and find other jobs. Then we the people will be without librarians and would have to pay them what they want. Problem is, there would be others to fill the jobs at the current pay and the previous employees would be DONE! Its called the open market, and the market should dictate wages, not what the head of the libary can squeeze out of our citizens through guilt and manipulation.
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