More than a few of you journalists are tweeting about @newyorkerunion work stoppage and have been assuming all of us in this industry just ... get raises.

We don't.

Get out of your bubbles and talk to more people, especially POC journos. We'll explain. (Thread)

I didn't get a raise in my first job for at least three years. No cost of living adjustments, no salary bumps even though my job had changed. Nada. Not even increased vacation time. I was in at least year 4 or 5 of my career before I got a raise: $4,000 more/year

Oh and by the way, I only got that because I basically begged for it. I had to say my rent was going up, my car had died and I needed a new one to commute to said job (yay, car payments, registration, gas, maintenance, Chicago fees), and I had student loans to pay.

Only after I said something to the effect of "I cannot afford to continue working here much longer" did I land that extra $4,000. Which, obvi, doesn't cover all that ^^^ after taxes. So I was back making the same plea again in a couple of years.

Oh, and also to tell my bosses, "hey, this job I'm doing now is way more work than what you hired me for. Shouldn't I get paid more?" Even if my bosses agreed, getting a pay raise approved was a crapshoot at best.

So with no pay raises guaranteed, either for time with a company or for excellence, so many journos are left to fend for themselves. That's why we rely on our networks for tips on how to pry our fucking coins from companies loathe to pay us what we're worth.

That is made more difficult by the lack of pay transparency. We often have no idea what people are making so we don't know what to ask for. Add that to the mentality that BIPOCs tend to undervalue ourselves, and we're doomed to be perpetually underpaid.

That's one reason why news unions like @newyorkerunion , like @CTGuild , like @latguild and many others are so important. These inequities and inequalities are not going to disappear; we have to dismantle them by working collectively.

Only through being part of @CTGuild was I able to have honest conversations about what we were making. Through that, a trusted colleague looked me dead in the face and told me I was making at least $20,000/year less than what I should have been, even after 9 years in the industry

You try asking for a $20,000/year raise in journalism. (Also if you have, and you got one, please write a tip sheet).

My story is not unique. Most of us aren't just getting raises in this business. We're not making more in year 3 than in year 1. If that's how you think this works for everyone, allow me to disavow you of that delusion. I know people who have worked a decade without a raise.

Tl;dr I found another job to pay me what I wanted. Solidarity to @newyorkerunion and all my fellow journalists who have been victimized by systemic pay inequity. Get your fucking coins.