I recently received this message from a field technician who was
(previously) employed on the Indiana State University/Caesars project.  I've
forwarded it to the list for discussion.
 
Regards,
Paul Reckner.
 
=========================
 
I'm writing this in response to a message posted by Joe Smith at
[log in to unmask] concerning the archaeological project in Harrison
County, Indiana (see below).  This message was an advertisement for field
technician
positions on the site.  Joe is an obvious alias for Anthony Adderly
(Antney6AOL.Com) who is a field supervisor on the site.  There has never
been a Joe Smith working at the site, (I should know, I actually did work
as a tech on the site, and have a list of every person employed by ISU,
and could find no one by that name when I checked).
 
I would like to respond to the comments that "Joe" made about the working
conditions, just in case you are considering taking employment with ISU
in Harrison County.  First let us address the "fantastic pay".  If you
take this job you will be under-paid half of what is owed you.  All the
employees working on the construction site are being paid union scale
except the arch field techs (crane operators, tree cutters,  people
holding signs in the road for traffic, and unskilled laborers, etc).
There is an ugly legal battle being waged against ISU as I write this, to
obtain the back wages ISU is stealing from its employees (They owe over
$2 million ).  Union scale for field techs is $18 an hour, ISU is paying
$9 an hour.
 
Joe stated that the staff was "way cool," but that was not my experience.
 I found the supervisors to be extremely unethical.  They will expect you
to watch and participate in "blowing off" features, (even large, round
woodland house patterns) and throwing away cultural material.  They are
not qualified for the positions that they hold, (see the Sec. of
Interiors Guidelines), and that definitely shows in their work.  They
have been reprimanded several times by the COE, and the INSHPO for shoddy
work.  If you try to stand up for your work, and refuse to blow off
important elements of the site you can expect to be labeled a trouble
maker, and you will more than likely get banished to the waterscreens or
lab.
 
Another problem was unsafe working conditions.  ISU has little regard for
your safety.  OSHA has visited the site two times, and cited them for
various violations.
 
There was an extremely high injury rate on the site.  Over the summer
when we were pushed the hardest, many people had repetitive motion
injuries.  The deeper components of the site are clay, and can be very
difficult to excavate.  If you are seriously injured on the job, good
luck.  The head of Humans Recourses for ISU dictates how much money can
be spent on medical procedures, and several employees have had to resort
to obtaining a lawyer in order to get the medical treatment they
desperately needed.
 
The arch sites are nice, I won't argue with "Joe" about that.  But what
ISU is doing to the sites should be illegal.  The rape of 2000-9000 year
old archaeological sites is abominable.  You will be expected to
participate if you take this job.  I know some of you are desperate for
work, and will find yourself in the employment of ISU regardless of what
I have stated above.  I recommend that you ask around- those of you that
have been in the field a while probably know someone who has worked on
one of these sites.  Don't take my word for it, ask them if they thought
the staff was "way cool".  If you do go to work for ISU you will need the
name of the lawyer representing the field techs for their back wages.
Jim McDonald can be reached at 812-238-2456.  Tell him you want to be
included in the class action against ISU for under-payment of union
scale.  75% of the approx 140 employees from this project have signed
onto this lawsuit, and the other 25% are people that left before the
action was taken.  We will be attempting to contact them in the future.
Good luck in your archaeological endeavors!
 
========================
 
Return-Path: <[log in to unmask]>
Date:         Fri, 27 Nov 1998 22:02:29 EST
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Sender: Archaeology List <[log in to unmask]>
From: Joe Smith <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: Field Tech Positions
To: [log in to unmask]
 
In a message dated 98-11-18 23:07:10 EST, [log in to unmask] writes:
 
> Indiana State University Anthropology Laboratory is preparing to
>  undertake Phase III mitigation at two sites in the Caesars World
>  development in Harrison County, Indiana.  The sites consist of a Late
>  Archaic rock-filled midden and a buried Early Archaic site with over
>  a meter of cultural deposits that yielded some 300 Kirk cluster
>  points in the testing phase.  We are seeking Field Technicians for a
>  four to six month period beginning in December at $9.00/hr and $50/da
>  per diem. Fieldwork will be conducted in large heated shelters.
>  Interested persons should send a resume and name/phone number of two
>  references to C. Russell Stafford, Anthropology Laboratory, Indiana
>  State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809 (fax: 812-237-3996).  Further
>  information can be obtain by calling 812-237-3990.
>  Russell Stafford
>  Anthropology Laboratory
>  Indiana Statue University
>  Terre Haute, IN 47809
>  812-237-3989 [[log in to unmask]]
 
I worked on this project--the archaeology/sites were *fantastic*, once-in-a-
lifetime stuff.  The pay was *excellent*, too.  And the staff was way cool.