The Register’s Strategic Plan includes a goal to advocate for better wages, conditions, and working environments for archaeologists. Including salary information in job listings is an important part of pay equity. Accordingly, the Register’s Board of Directors unanimously approved a new policy at its last board meeting, held on March 18, 2022. Proposed by President Fernandez, the new policy states:

“Effective May 1, 2022, advertisements for jobs posted to the Register’s Featured Jobs Postings will be required to include compensation information to include, minimally, pay range or minimum pay. In addition, uncompensated internships will not be published. Effective July 31, 2022, the Register will only post job links to other organizations that also adhere to this or a similar policy.”

This policy is part of the Labor Equity Campaign organized by heritage resource consultant, Sarah Marsom. Statistically, women and people of color are less likely to negotiate salaries and wages, putting these individuals at a disadvantage and furthering the wage gap when compensation is not shared up front. Increased salary transparency benefits both job seekers and employers; it lets candidates self-select if they will apply or not based on their financial needs, and it provides employers with a stronger applicant pool that is confident that the compensation will provide them with a sustainable income.

With this policy, the Register joins other heritage organizations and municipalities who have also adopted this policy (see below) and invites our sponsoring and affiliated organizations to do the same.

American Association for State and Local History

Association for Preservation Technology

Heritage Preservation Professionals

National Council on Public History

Historic Preservation Professionals group on Facebook

National Trust for Historic Preservation

New York City

Preservenet

Preservation Directory

Society of Architectural Historians

State of Colorado

State of Washington