• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    And before anyone says “no one pays those wages anymore,” it’s true that I didn’t get paid $7.25 an hour when I first moved back to Indiana about 10 years ago.

    I was paid $7.75 an hour. From a TV station. To shoot live news and sports, meaning traveling in weather no matter how dangerous for regional basketball games and seeing lots of dead bodies, then going back and editing two news shows every night before heading out again to shoot the next car crash.

    And when I was up for a promotion, I was told I didn’t have the right attitude. Because my attitude was things like, “it’s blizzarding out right now. I really don’t think it’s safe for me to drive 50 miles down a 2-lane highway at night.” rather than, “sir yes sir!”

    I left that job as soon as I could. To the other TV station in town. For a $10 an hour job making commercials.

    These are jobs in L.A., where I used to live, that would pay you a high five-figure salary if not a six-figure one. And the weather is a lot safer to drive in.

    Yep, Indiana sucks when it comes to pay. I’m sure those other states are just as bad.

    • phoneymouse@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Attitude and wages have a direct correlation. As an employer, you pay for the attitude you get.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        You would think so, but the other people in the same job were gung-ho for it. It was bizarre. And I basically spent my evenings documenting tragedies when it wasn’t sports (and I hate sports), so it took a serious psychological toll, which it should have for anyone who wasn’t the apparent psychopaths I was working with.

        • LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          outrageous, I can’t believe anyone in television journalism, a fairly high profile position, would be paid only $7.75 an hour. I often wonder how much those people on TV are earning. I always imagine theyre all multimillionaires in amazing houses with amazing cars.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            It’s a small town, so I didn’t expect $90,000 a year or anything, but you’d think they’d pay a little more than they did. But I really needed a job at the time.