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Author Topic: Management Pay Rate Aaron Wesener Film Handler Posts: 14 From: Burt, MI, USA Registered: Nov 2003 posted 12-27-2005 06:34 PM                     Hey Guys, I'm simply looking for an average management pay scale. I am currently an assistant general manager at an 18 screen metro theater. I am not only in charge of shift management, orders, etc. But I am also the tech manager, so I am in charge of all technical aspects of the theater as well. I am about to negotiate for a better salary and was looking for a basis for my raise. I am also wondering what benefits are common health, 401K, etc. Any info on this topic would be helpful.  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-27-2005 07:08 PM                        You're asking for a shot in the dark as compensation varies greatly from company to company. Most know who I worked for, and they sure weren't the most competitive when it came to $$ and benefits packages...  |  IP: Logged Aaron Wesener Film Handler Posts: 14 From: Burt, MI, USA Registered: Nov 2003 posted 12-28-2005 01:46 AM                     I understand that compensation varies greatly. But most other professions can provide an average for compensation. Even if individually the compensation varies greatly there is still a basis for comparison across the board. This is what I am trying to get a feel for, in our industry. I am only sure what the scale is within my company, being so close to the top of the ladder there is not much to base my judgments on. We are a growing independent chain so most for of my promotions I have created new titles; therefore I need to know what to demand before I go into a meeting.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 12-28-2005 02:06 AM                     With your expertise and being involved with a 18plex AND if the company accepts your assets and finds you have the desire to grow within the company, I'd shoot for a negotiable $30K/yr for starters - including typical benefits of health, dental, and optional vision. 401K's are an option if the company is willing to do dollar per dollar.  |  IP: Logged Frank Dubrois Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 896 From: Cleveland, OH Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-03-2006 12:37 AM                    What do you do if you make a crap hourly salary and no benefits but you know the theater is sunk without you? I hate to put in my notice and hope the company gets smart and makes ME an offer, but then, continuing as an undervalued and underused employee pisses me off.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 01-03-2006 01:22 AM                        quote: Frank Dubrois What do you do if you make a crap hourly salary and no benefits but you know the theater is sunk without you? The first move is not to turn in your notice. You risk your employer accepting it. Further, you make it clear that this is the tactic you're likely use the next time you decide it's time for a raise. Even if I were to keep you, I'd be looking for a backup. If you're so sure that your talents aren't easily replaceable, make a presentation to your employer and convince him of same. You might get your raise. You might not. But at least you're less likely to set off alarms with the office, and lose the option to keep your job at what you now term "crap" wages.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-03-2006 02:19 AM                     Frank, you're a "dedicated" and "loyal" employee who LOVES his job to death! Have to give you credit for that since I've been there and done that as well. Unless you hunker up to management level to get that raise and benefits..or go find another theatre chain that will appreciate you with the assets you have, you're kinda stuck and being used to the max since they know that you'll come "johnny-on-the-trot" when something goes wrong and you're the "IT-MAN" that they can rely on. Now, the only thing that'll save your butt is if that you have techincial skills (sound and mechanical skills..)to save them money and throw this on the bargaining table Oh, the horror if it all being so faithful, reliable, trustworty, loyal, dependable ... just to get used to death. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Frank Dubrois Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 896 From: Cleveland, OH Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-03-2006 11:37 AM                    Monte...thats exactly it. I won't say that I'm irreplacable, everybody can be replaced, its just the cost involved in replacing me thats gonna hurt. All of the "little" repairs that I do can't be done by anyone else...no one has the interest in learning. They would be stuck calling the firm that does the professional repairs and installations. I beleive they get a few hundred dollars a trip because of their location. I've tried to show them the light, but they don't see the value in me. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not patting myself on the back or turning myself into some projector repair god, but I DO know when someone has value to an establishment. A box person or even a projectionist can be trained by other qualified personel, but when the job is more of the skilled trade, you have have to either treat your person right, or expect to be looking elsewhere for repairs. I can repair most items. Especially with the help given here, there hasn't been a problem thats come up that I wasn't able to take care of...cheap. I'm not looking for more cash, although more would be nice, all I asked for is benefits and some kind of authority in the booth (for training and diciplinary purposes), and milage for those days that I have to be called in for emergencies. Considering the money I have saved them and the money I will continue to save them, I didn't think I was asking for much. Turns out, thats more than the comany is "interested" in paying. As far as wage goes, I'm making less than $9.50/hr. Looking at my situation, and still remembering how much I love the job, I've decided to quit. It isnt going to be a ploy to get something out of them, I have decided that I will leave, and nothing can keep me there. Looking objectively at my situation (as objectively as I can) I've decided that I'm worth more than what they think I am worth, and the only way to prove it to them, is to PROVE it to them. I will miss working there, but I feel that I am wasting my time working for a company that doesn't appreciate its employees. Perhaps I'll head out.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-03-2006 02:13 PM                     Yes Frank, you're basically stuck in a form of work environment that skill isn't really appreciated - you're just a "number" on the wall that the "big boys" want to find and tell you what to do. Nobody special, yet nobody unimportant. You're in a "grindhouse" environment where basically a job is needed to be done and that's it. If you were in a manufacturing enviornment where product was being made and company is continually making money from the product, then you'd be in a better situation. But, theatre work isn't making a product to be sold - just providing a service to the public. This is where the payscale that you're at is based on what attributes that you have and better than minimum wage, you have to agree. And since you're not wearing the "suit" and being that form of leader person that garnishes the higher wage, as I mentioned, you're stuck due to the fact of the catagory that your job title is at. Does your theatre have the separate job catagory of "projectionist", or are you just considered a floor staff employee? Some circuits only have two classifications: Manager and Floorstaff (which has multiple titles underneath this main title) and they don't have the separate classifications called Booth Operator, or Projectionist. And with the classification of managers, this is where the benefits are at and they're not going to alter this plan of benefits to employees since the turnaround is more moderate than managers, thus why should the company waste their time offering benefits to employees who, on the average, stick around for an average of 8 months to 2 yrs on a wage that is also in a catagory of "a stepping stone" job instead of a career job as with the manager position. When I was booth manager at a big complex, I was making $10.75/hr, and with my attributes of technical jazz, the company decided to make me a part of their engineering team, thus shot me up to a very good salary wage. This is the only thing that kept me in this business is of my technicial skills. Now I work for a small company who created an Engineering department and made me in charge of this department and is garnishing me a wage that matches my qualifications whereas nobody in the company can't even come close to what I know. (and here I'm standing on my soapbox and patting myself on the back..LOL) No, stay on your soapbox and keep patting yourself on the back that you know something that someone else doesn't - that is what keeps you alive...even though, right now, you're STUCK. Once agin, hang in there. - Monte  |  IP: Logged Frank Dubrois Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 896 From: Cleveland, OH Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-03-2006 02:34 PM                    We have 3 classifications..Managment, projectionist, and general workers. The general workers are plucked (at random apparently) to be projectionists. Usually the workers want to be projectionists because its a great place to talk on their cell phones in the dark. Projectionists here seem to be little more than thread jockeys. If something breaks, their clueless. Most cannot even fix a film break. Its more of a frustration than anything else. We could acheive great things if projectionists were actually trained the right way...but their not. Apparently, the booth personal are "good enough". A projector isnt malfunctioning until we can't show a movie on it, THEN we can order parts. I want a managment position so I can get things done RIGHT, not for ego purposes. I can tell people what to do, however, they can turn around and tell me what to do with my request . I have been refused a managment position several times now, so I'm starting to get the message. Apparently doing things right isnt a major priority. I've been here for just over 3 years now. For some reason, I expected more from a company. I will start my search country wide this week.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-03-2006 03:23 PM                     Yes Frank, you're the victim of the usual circumstances where you work at. And that place, only the managers are the only ones who are going to make it to the top - nobody else. Now, with the 3yrs of experience that you've got (and nobody will ever take that away from you...), go somewhere else and show them these three years of what you know. Big thing is to find somewhere that will appreciate you and gives you some growing opportunites with what you know and will continue to know with the learning that is STILL out there (and believe me, there is TONS of it that can be had..cuz I'm still after it as well..) -Monte  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-03-2006 03:23 PM                        I must make note that people leave an industry when they do not feel adequately compensated. This is what I am reading in your posts. (Your's too, Monte.) Failure to retain competent people (technical & management) is the greatest challenge this industry has. Louis  |  IP: Logged Frank Dubrois Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 896 From: Cleveland, OH Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-03-2006 04:02 PM                    I agree...you gotta pay the people that you can't easily replace. We have an assistant manager that could easily do the GM's job should he be fired or quit...but I keep think, if I quit, who takes over? Nobody. They have to hire out to fix their problems. What commercial was it that said, "you can pay me now, or pay them later." Its SO true. I wish I could adequately describe the situation to the corporate office, but their so busy shuffling papers, I don't think they even care to listen. I think the only way to get the message sent clearly to them is to quit. Maybe they'll call me back and want to talk, maybe not. Either way, I'm OK with it. I won't have any regrets. I can't simply coast through life with this job. Oh, did I mention its only part-time too? They don't see a need to make me full time.....YET.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-04-2006 12:53 AM                     quote: Frank Dubrois Oh, did I mention its only part-time too? They don't see a need to make me full time.....YET. Then, that DOES make a difference then. Why should they pay you fulltime when they can save on the payroll when the new year's business is going to slow down considerably? It's called "budget and profit margins" that companies HAVE to be in if they want to continually have a profit to operate as well as exist. (saw your other post on the belt thingey. Sounds familiar with small companies that want to scrimp and scrape to save a few pennies instead of preventive maintenance measures. To them buying belts that, to them, is sitting on the shelf and wasting their money instead of when they do break, then is the time to buy for immediate replacement and repair. Sorta not looking past the end of their nose so to say). If they can have a salaried, or lesser paid employee that can do the same job as you can, why pay you full-time and waste that money, especially where they deem you not as important as the others that they can REALLY use. Louis: I agree with your statement since some companies don't know how to really compensate for quality work since they themselve who are in a line of business, really don't know how to operate that business AS the business. Thus, it's frustrating when we know what we are doing and our superiors don't have a clue on what is going on-just that they are running a business and that's that. Seems like a growing trend these days.. -thx Monte  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-04-2006 02:08 AM                        quote: Frank Dubrois What commercial was it that said, "you can pay me now, or pay them later." GM oil filters, "Mr. Goodwrench" campaign.  |  IP: Logged

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