Friday, March 30, 2012

By the numbers | Hourly pay rates compared

A reader at one of Gannett’s Midwest newspapers sent me a copy of their pay stub this week, including a note about their low hourly rate that said: “I’m sure there are many worse!”

Indeed, given the size of the company’s workforce -- 31,000 employees -- there probably are a few who get paid less. But not many.

Following are gross hourly pay rates based on a 40-hour week, except where indicated; figures for the top brass are according to their 2011 compensation.


$13.50
per hour for that Midwest newspaper employee


$15.40 
Jim Hopkins, Gannett blogger *


$246
Al Neuharth, Freedom Forum founder **


$752 
David Payne, chief digital officer


$794 
Dave Lougee, broadcasting division president


$1,053 
Paul Saleh, chief financial officer


$1,317 
Bob Dickey, president of the U.S. newspaper division


$2,256
CEO Gracia Martore ***


$5,892 
Craig Dubow, retired chairman and CEO ****


* based on 20-hour week.
** wages and expenses for 2010.
*** Martore's hourly pay exceeded the Midwest employee's monthly pay ($2,160).
**** Although Dubow resigned Oct. 6, figure assumes he was paid for 52 weeks.

Note: federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since 2009.

Related: this table shows 2011 pay for six-highest paid executives.

What's your hourly rate? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

[Image: a time clock]

19 comments:

  1. USAT had 37.5 hour weeks when I was there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I worked for Gannett for 9 years and the most I made was $10.25.

    What Debow is getting should be against the law.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My site is 37.5 hour week unless you are salary in which case you are lucky to work less than 50.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Last person we hired in the midwest group for my department is at $11. And she was glad to have the job. Or I should say, I'm glad to have the job.

    If you always look at other people and wish you had what they did, you'll never be happy. It sounds a little like old hippy talking, but life is what it is - you need to find your own peace and not expect it to be fair.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I worked for GANNETT for 32 years and left making 18.45 an hour.
    I did more work than 4 people, hard and accurate. I gave a great job while the others around me didn't really do anything and made too much! Go figure!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why would you work anywhere for $18 an hour for 32 years?

      Delete
  6. I don't give a rat's ass how much our execs make. I only want them to provide REAL leadership and produce results. They do neither....hence they are grossly overpaid.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, finally a stat that makes you feel a little sorry for Martore. Not even 77 cents on Dubow's dollar...

    ReplyDelete
  8. 13.50? doing what?

    Somewhere on the east coast, the janitor was making 12.00!

    Must be a cost of living thing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Digital Sales Manager, West Group, $28.12 an hour salary (without bonuses).

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nothing is ever enough until you are. And the most foolish thing we ever do is work for money. But still we do it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anybody do a hourly research on what Allan is getting,from retirement, his column, and foundation salary?

    ReplyDelete
  12. michem@8:10 Good question. I've added Neuharth's 2010 pay at Freedom Forum, which is the original Gannett Foundation. That year is the most recent available.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Remember folks:
    A journalist's credo is "afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted."

    Except is your own company.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Is this pay stuff serious? I've been at one of the "Midwest" papers for 10 years. I earn more than $30 an hour if you break it down by 40 hours a week. I work more like 55 hours a week...so I supposed I could divide salary by that.
    What is the starting salary for a reporter now?

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am 10 years at a Midwest weekly and I make $11.06 an hour.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I always liked it when I was addressed on the basis of my pay compared to the pay of my supposed superior.

    This a direct quote that I wrote down in a notebook anyway (having been ordered to stop keeping private notes):

    "If we need your input, we'll wait until they put you salary. Which isn't going to happen."

    Followed by a chuckle.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Midwest, going on 4 years, online department, $13.24 an hour.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I started as a FT news reporter at a Midwest paper (not one of the tiny ones) for $12.75/hr ($26,500/year). I knew at least one other recent grad who started at another Gannett paper for the same salary a few months later. Three years and several furloughs later, I topped out at $13.26/hr. Of course, when you factor in the copious amount of unpaid overtime, my hourly rate was probably closer to 2/3 that. I tried to track it at one point, but it only depressed me. Thankfully, I'm better paid and working better and fewer hours elsewhere now.

    ReplyDelete

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