Part-time art installers at the Queens museum say they do the same job, but earn far less, than full-time employees at the Museum of Modern Art.
Freelance arts laborers in NYC wish to achieve basic/comparable living wages.
Get that skrill. You’re worth every penny.
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Some general info:
Independent contractors pay full taxes out of pocket, whereas a full time employee pays half taxes, an employer matches those taxes, and they apply that $ to the IRS for you as the year progresses.
As an independently contracted arts laborer, If I’m offered a wage of $20 an hour that means I make about $15 an hour after I set aside that other $5 to go towards quarterly taxes which I pay independently to the IRS. If I’m offered a wage of $15 an hour that means I’m making something like $11 an hour after I set aside $ for taxes. These numbers are anything but progressive, and this is what’s being offered by institutions that consider themselves to be progressive.
I’ve been working jobs in construction my entire life. I have 10 years of product training to pull from, gained while working retail in a big box corporate hardware environment. I have an MFA, thus I’ve been studying and installing art works and bringing exhibitions to fruition since I was 18 years old, I’m currently 39. I gained on the job training in arts handling as an intern almost 10 years ago, the (capital A) art exhibits I’ve been a part of installing here in New Orleans are getting national attention.
This background suggests that I’m a skilled laborer. I’m tired of being treated as if I’m an unskilled laborer.
