No raises for 6 years, until we started organizing a union.
Pros
Great Time Off and Tuition benefits. Decent Retirement. Flexible Schedules.
Cons
Low pay, even for academia. Decisions come from the top down with no knowledge of how things actually work. There is no longer any institutional memory due to the frequent turnover of upper management. Upper Administration exists in a bubble. They frequently spend lots of money on outside consultants while at the same time telling the staff there is no money for raises and raising students' tuition. They spent a large sum to hire a notorious union busting law firm in response to staff organizing efforts last year, and then hired one member of that firm as In House Counsel. It would cost them less to just pay people fairly. When cuts need to be made, they do NOT come from the top, which is typical everywhere no doubt. There is no room for advancement unless you are somebody's good pal. And forget about being compensated for taking on the additional work of those who have been let go. We don't even have salary ranges anymore. HR invents titles or lets upper administration make up new ones to hand out to those they want to reward. Being good at your job does not mean that you will be appreciated or recognized.
