Am I being screwed?

I agree with those who say that you should be thankful for any raise and OT in this age of wage freezes and bean-counters going 9-11 if you log OT, but there's a bigger principle at play as well. If they say they're going to do something and not only don't deliver, but aren't forthright in WHY they aren't delivering, then that speaks to the way they treat people and do business. That's why you're upset, not because of the money (though you still want the money).

 

The paper CAN and WILL get by without you. We all would like to think we're indispensable but there's always a new crop of up-and-comers who will happily take your job and probably at a smaller salary. Doesn't mean they'll do the job as well as you, but as long it doesn't have a significant effect on circulation numbers, they're just as good to the bean counters as you are.

It's harsh, but it's the reality of our business.

 

most places only give out raises once per year -- no mid-year salary bumps. You shouldn't have been promised one if it wasn't in the budget, so you got screwed there.
In most shops, OT must be approved in advance, and that rarely is happening these days.consider yourself fortunate you're getting any OT
and the idea of merit raises,although great in theory, doesn't really work.
usually there is a pool of money from which raises come from -- 3 perecent sounds about right from what I've been told. So, if you get a five percent bump, no matter how good you say your work is, some other people are going to get less than the 3 percent average.
Consider this a good early lesson in newspapering. The way to make more money is to move on occassionally and shoot for a nice bump at each stop.

 

Take the 3 percent, but look now, not next summer. Now is when people might need somebody for high school football season.

Is there anyway you can challenge the "grading system"? Adding a statement to your evaluation, adding the reviewer's statement about not being allowed to give 5s in the first year. You might request that the categories where you get a five be adjusted to get a five. Is there a formal policy?

Also, I would put that equipment in storage for a week - that will kind of make a point.

Don't ever think that your ability will triumph and carry the day. Maybe it will and maybe it won't, but don't ever get the idea that hard work will always be rewarded. For every person on this board who says they worked hard and got a better job, a better beat and things worked out, there is another one or two who have an example like yours or even worse. I heard of a publisher of a weekly newspaper who filed for bankruptcy and told his young employees that if they filed a claim in bankruptcy court, he would fix it so none of them would ever work in newspapers again.

Maybe most places give out raises once a year, but for a starting position a six-month review is probably reasonable. Three percent for an annual raise might be appropriate, but when you are, in effect, serving an apprenticeship a higher raise would bring a new person to something more than a training wage.