Just a note to make something clear -
 
The new technician position descriptions were developed by federal
agencies (most notably the COE and the USFS) and presented to the
Department of Labor.  While ACRA supported the revisons, and UAFT
opposed them, I have the distinct impression that as "private sector"
parties, their comments were not as weightly as those of the agencies
who had essentially had their ability to perform their missions derailed
for over a year.
 
While a discussion of the importance of archaeological fieldworkers and
their skills is a worthwhile topic, I don't want to see this cast
entirely as a labor vs. management issue. Firms will pay what they need
to to attract good skilled workers regardless of the federal wage
determinations/job descriptons.
 
Just a thought before this turns into a flame war.
 
John
 
John P. McCarthy, SOPA
Vice President, Sr. Archaeologist/historian
IMA Consulting, Inc.
Minneapolis