Interesting observations on SCA compliance, Mike.  I had naively assumed
that the agency awarding the contract would be responsible for ensuring the
payment of SCA rates through invoice review or audits.  I think that all
ethical CRM companies are simply hoping for a level playing field, but it's
often quite difficult to find.

Ian Burrow

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
[log in to unmask]
Sent: Friday, September 13, 2013 12:54 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Positions Available - Pay

Ian.  You make very good points.  Before this conversation is cut  off, I
would like to add that while using wage determinations may be a good  thing,
I question how often the agencies requiring them pay attention  to whether
companies actually follow the law in this regard.  While I  cannot speak
with authority as to whether contractors have,basically, ignored  such 
requirements, I have experience with many, many bids requiring such.   In
many cases, 
the winning company's costs were so low that, in my opinion, it  would not
be possible to properly, or even adequately carry out the work AND  follow
SCA requirements.  
 
I presume that the Labor Department is responsible for following up on
whether the SCA is followed, but I do not know how that works, whether there
are  intermittent audits or they are so busy that not much of anything is
done  in this regard.  It makes it very difficult, however, for companies
trying to uphold the law on wage determinations and do good  archaeology, to
stay in business.  This conversation should spill over into  the latest GSA
announcement about changing their policies regarding  costs to increase
"fairness" in their schedule system.  
 
Mike Polk
Sagebrush Consultants  
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 9/13/2013 9:11:20 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

I am  pleased to see this subject being raised.  I suppose, however,
somebody  may soon decide it's inappropriate for this site, people will
flounce off  the list, and discussion will be terminated.  It's a pattern. I
will  not make or respond to ad hominem attacks or other abuse.
Dr. King must  be wondering what she did to bring this all down, but it's
touched a  nerve.The truth is that archaeology and CRM wages are lousy for
most people,
and particularly for those trying to break into the  career.   I'm not 
qualified
to comment on academic research  grants, but I do know something about CRM.
Although we would all like to  believe that quality of work should be the
main criterion for clients when  selecting CRM companies, we all know that
money talks.  This is  especially disheartening in the case of those Federal
clients who always  make noises about balancing various factors in order to
get "the best value  for the Government", but who (as many of us can attest)
very often go low-bid anyway.  Of course this tends to be even more
pronounced in  the private sector.  In such an environment employers cannot
set  company wages so high as to price themselves out of the market.  If
they want to remain in business, that is.

So what can we do?   One thing CRM companies cannot do is to get together 
to fix
wages and  prices.  That is illegal, and rightly so.  There are however a
couple of other avenues.

One would be to encourage Federal agencies  (who essentially can fix wages)
to use Service Contract Act wage  determinations as much as possible.  In my
experience these are  usually higher than prevailing CRM rates for a given
area, at least for  lower pay grades.  This has the effect not only of
putting more money  in people's pockets, but also of leveling the
playing-field as far as proposals are concerned, in that level and quality
of effort are able to take a more prominent role in decision-making. A
knock-on effect may be  seen through the industry as a result.

The other route is better  quality control.  The Federal archaeology program
in the U.S. depends  very heavily on State Historic Preservation Offices to
ensure that work  meets specific standards.  Federal agencies do not have to
agree  to SHPO requirements, but most of them reflexively do.  So we need
really strong, well-resourced, Historic Preservation Offices. They need to
be systematically staffed by highly qualified, experienced, and
realistically paid, CRM professionals who are at professional grades in
their State governments high
enough to command political respect.   With those conditions in place we 
would, I
think, see a greater insistence  on high quality work.

What does high quality work require? Skilled  people, effectively managed.
What do skill and effective management  command? Higher remuneration.

Please do not take this as a denigration  by me of people who currently work
in HPO's. Those in the HPO's I'm  familiar with are highly dedicated to what
they do, are horribly  overworked, underpaid, sometimes subject to political
pressures, and  sometimes, I suspect, find their work frustrating  and
under-appreciated.  What I am suggesting is that we look into ways  to raise
their profile and authority so that poor quality work, done at  cut-throat
costs, is a thing of the past.

Two other  things:

If you are qualified to Register as an RPA, please do  it.

If your CRM firm isn't in ACRA, please consider  joining.


Ian Burrow




On September 13, 2013 at  9:35 AM Daryl Armour <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I wanted to  change the subject title so as not to pull Julia King's
initial
> email  into the wrong direction. I am not trying to bash anyone here, 
> but
 these
> are just my observations and thoughts (shooting from the hip  with 
> little coffee). Also, first post on the list,
>
>  print( "Hello World!" ):
>
> Its unfortunate, but its an ever more  reoccurring trend within CRM. 
> When
you
> think about it, it shouldn't  come as a surprise when you hear people
speaking
> out about the  uselessness of Anthropology at the public/governmental
level
> (for  example Governor Scott). We have been undervaluing people with a
BA,  and
> in some cases up to an MA, in our own profession for so long I  feel 
> it
was
> only a matter of time before it began to be mirrored in  the 
> policy-makers sentiments. I couldn't say I know the cause for this  as 
> I have nowhere
near
> the amount of years put into this profession as  most on this list. On 
> one level, you have those who paint Archaeology  with a romantic 
> brush, on the other hand, one can then look at those  within the lower 
> levels of CRM
who can
> barely afford to pay their  bills, nor have the opportunity to get a
house or
> raise a  family.
>
> I am not saying that money is everything, and I hate  that response to
anyone
> who discusses money and archaeology, of course  everyone should do 
> what
they
> find fulfillment out of and that is why  all of us are here. But
shouldn't you
> at least expect to have a  "normal" life in which you can actually pay
your
> bills and go out to  eat once in a while? I can only assume at SOME 
> (not
all)
> academic and  private-sector levels, its the big business mantra of 
> "Efficiency!  Efficiency! Efficiency! Profit! Profit! Profit!" coming
through,
> mixed  with "make the best out of what you've been given."
>
> There, I  said it, please don't blacklist me!
>
> On Sep 13, 2013, at 12:53  AM, Richard Lundin wrote:
>
> > Julie:
> >
>  > That is ridiculous! With the new proposed MINIMUM WAGE + benefits  
> +
> > required employer supplied healthcare they could do better at
McDonalds.
> > This is a waste of the time and money getting a BA\BS  in 
> > Anthropology\Archaeology. When I am asked how to get into  
> > archaeology,
I
> > say DON'T!- UNLESS YOU HAVE AN EXCELLENT MATH AND  SCIENCE 
> > BACKGROUND
AND
> > CAN GET INTO ARCHAEOSCIENCE (I.E.  ARCHAEOGEOPHYSICS, 
> > ARCHAEOCHEMISTRY
OR
> > FORENSIC  ARCHEOLOGY!
> >
> > My Two Cents!
> >
> >  Richard J. Lundin BA, MA, RPA, ISAP, AIPG Consulting Historical  
> > Archaeologist & Archaeogeophysicist
> >
> >
> >  On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 5:12 PM, King, Julia <[log in to unmask]>  wrote:
> >
> >> Dear HISTARCHers,
>  >>
> >> St. Mary's College of MD is searching for a Project  Archaeologist 
> >> and
crew
> >> (3) for a major survey focused on  documenting Piscataway Indian
landscapes
> >> in Southern  Maryland. More information about the positions can be
found at
>  >> this link: http://www.smcm.edu/hr/employment.html#assist_arch.  
> The
> >> positions will remain open until filled. The project  begins on or
about
> >> October 15.
> >>
>  >> Julie King
>  >>