Nice work if you can get it!

[On_Headset]

Today I learned that the head stagehands at Carnegie Hall earn upwards of 400k a year: http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/04/why-should-stage-hands-at-carnegie-hall-make-400000/

And, I mean, I get it. They've earned that revenue. That's how labour negotiations work.

But... wowzers, scoob.

[iamchristuffin]

To put that into a little bit of context, $400,000 is *roughly* 5 times what an equivalent person would earn at the Royal Opera House over here...

[KMC]

Today I learned that the head stagehands at Carnegie Hall earn upwards of 400k a year: http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/04/why-should-stage-hands-at-carnegie-hall-make-400000/

And, I mean, I get it. They've earned that revenue. That's how labour negotiations work.

But... wowzers, scoob.

Define "earned", and tell me how a stagehand can justify a $400k/year salary.

Contracts like these are why unions get a bad rap.

[MatthewShiner]

Look at the cost of supporting a family in NYC . . . I tell you right now, at $120,000 a year, before taxes, me and my husband could not afford to raise a family in Manhattan.

$400,000 Salary in Manhattan would be

Comparable salary in
Des Moines, IA
$159,639
Price difference in Des Moines, IA

Groceries 39%less
Housing 81%less
Utilities 32%less
Transportation 23%less
Health Care 24%less

And while $159,639 may seem a lot of many for a house crew position - that is the senior crew members, and please note that are often loading in early in the morning, running a show, and striking the same show every day.  When I worked there over the holidays, they sometimes were doing two different concerts a day.

And I am sure the 400,000 income quoted has a lot to do with overtime . . .
Post Merge: Oct 07, 2013, 10:33 amAnother good article on the subject

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304176904579111810975642206.html?mod=WSJ_article_comments#articleTabs%3Darticle