(Fwd) Piano Technician Position

Michael Jorgensen Michael.Jorgensen@cmich.edu
Mon, 16 Aug 1999 08:03:09 -0400


Hello Friends,
     We's worth less then toaster oven technicians! When a toaster oven breaks,
it's either the control timer or the heating element,  --either way it's two
screws and two wires.  When a Steinway action breaks, it's just two screws,
(aint no wires to worry about). We just send for a new one, tighten them two
screws and we're all done.!!

-Mike Jorgensen
some educational administrators could use some education



JIMRPT@AOL.COM wrote:

> In a message dated 8/13/1999 6:31:54 AM, hoffsoco@martin.luther.edu quoted:
>
> <<" bottom fishing on price to see if they can scare anything up.
> Probably will ">>
>
> While I kinda agree with this sentiment I don't needfully take the 'somewhat'
> negative view reflected in most posts on this thread.  It is easy to be
> cynical about such matters.... but looked at another way it will be a
> blessing for 'someone', possibly:-)
>
>   For a tech who has been in the field a few years and has never quite gotten
> off the ground...for whatever reason,  people skills, work habits,
> established techs too numerous in area, etc............but whose skills are
> average-to better, this could be exactly what is needed at that point in
> their professional life. For those of us who have done/are doing Univ. work
> we know that if people skills or work habits are lacking in some areas they
> will/must be improved in a Univ situation "OR ELSE" :-)
>
>   Low salary level for 3/4 time at 22.5K = 30K full time and is that really
> sooo bad?
> 3/4 time is.... 30 hours per week X 50 weeks =1500 hrs per year or $15
> dollars an hour.   This is without any expenses to speak of for 'anything'
> but personal tools.
>
>    To this one could reasonably expect to add 3 or 4 "outside" tunings per
> week and then we come to a very livable income don't we?  At $50 per tuning
> and using 3 tunings per week X 50 weeks =7.5K
> Now taking the 22.5K base and adding the 7.5% SEP tax to it gives us a figure
> of 24.187K and adding the 7.5K (extra outside tuning) would give us 31.687K
> per year without any expenses to speak of.....put another way this is the
> amount one would needfully earn AFTER EXPENSES, before taxes, in a private
> shop situation to equal the position at Binghamton U.
>
>   Now figuring 3/4 time for the Univ. work and 2 hours per tuning for the
> outside work that would give us an average of 36 hours per week of 'work
> time'.........
> 36 (hours) X 50 (weeks)= 1800 hrs of work time per year.......
> 22.5K + 7.5K =30K/1800 = 16.67 per hour
> Now this ain't living in the lap of luxury but it ain't "chump' change either
> :-)
>
>   Also Binghamton is part of the State of NY University system and there will
> be, by State law, 'some' collateral employee benefits...just what I couldn't
> say but there will be some.  In addition as part of the faculty(?).....
> Education/Continuing Education possibilities are there for the taking by the
> tech at a very reduced cost, if any costs at all.
>
>   So would this position be attractive to some of us? No, of course not...at
> least not in the position we are in now :-)   Can we 'all' honestly say that
> it would not have been 'very' attractive to us at some point early in our
> tech lives...I kinda doubt it.
>
> Just another point of view.
> Jim Bryant (FL)



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