Believe I'm underpaid - do I have to seal drawings? 7

[heartlandce]

I'm a newly minted PE. I've done a lot of reading about raises associated with receiving one's PE license and I know there is a large variation in raises/bonuses depending on your industry, public/private, responsibility etc. I received our company's standard bonus but what I would consider a measly COL adjustment during our recent salary adjustments.

In my opinion, I've been underpaid for the last two years. This is based off of one coworker's salary, online salary websites, and a posting for an entry level public sector job that is nearly 10% higher than my salary as a PE. Last year I talked to my manager after a glowing performance review and he agreed that I was underpaid. I received a mid-year raise and was expecting to make up the gap when I received my PE. It didn't happen. I didn't bring up my concerns at my recent review because we discussed it last year and I couldn't make a strong argument that my responsibilities had changed.

Recently, it's come to light that I will likely be part of a project that requires me to review and seal a bunch of simple designs for a client. Now I feel even more taken advantage of. I would like to say "No stamping without a raise" but that has quite a few downsides. Realistically, the job will just go to someone else and I will be marginalized. It will look like blackmail. The other option is to give the project my all, then ask for a raise by pointing to the additional responsibility I took on.

I don't want to hold my stamp hostage, but the reality is, I am assuming a lot of legal responsibility for my employer by stamping designs. I don't want to do that while simultaneously being treated poorly in regards to salary.

 

[itdepends]

I've always worked on the premise that if two employees discuss their respective salaries at least one of them will go away from the conversation unhappy- because we will overvalue our own contribution relative to everyone else.

As a chem eng/metallurgist the first part of any answer I give starts with "It Depends"

 

[1gibson]

Best time to discuss salary is right after a coworker leaves, catch up and buy them a beer a few weeks into it. You can hopefully get 3 data points: what they were making, what they are making now, and what the counteroffer was. Assuming they were a peer, and the new position is similar to the old, fair market compensation is somewhere in the middle.

 

[TLHS]

Purplemonkey,

The clause about discussing salary is probably illegal and not enforceable. It was a major labour rights issue that was established in most countries quite a long time ago. I suspect you're in the US, where the National Labour Relations Act gives everyone the right to discuss their wage. The Labor Relations Board has defended that right.

I don't care enough to look up proper references at the moment, but see here:

http://www.npr.org/2014/04/13/301989789/pay-secrecy-policies-at-work-often-illegal-and-misunderstood

 

[Panther140]

Why are you putting up with low wages as a PE? Employers shouldnt be able to take advantage of PEs so much. When you think about how the market works, its not just you that suffers when employers get away with underpaying you. Keep in mind you aren't going to get rich by being somebody's employee, but you did indeed just become more valuable to your employer

 

[Panther140]

TLHS, I actually believe its the first amendment that protects those rights. Do we still go by that set of laws?

 

[TLHS]

The first amendment stops the government from writing laws that restrict free speech. It would prevent the government from writing a law restricting discussion about salaries. It doesn't stop your employer from threatening to fire you if you talk about your salary.

 

[Panther140]

Sorry TLHS I was under the impression that he had a public sector job, and I was trying real hard to make a jab at the government.

 

[kardebarn]

You say your new project will require you to "review and seal drawings for a client". Be careful with this. The laws of many states do not allow this, and it would be considered plan stamping in most as I know it. You need to be in responsible charge of the designs (meaning you have complete control over final decision making with regard to the plans) or you must do it yourself. Checking someone else's work and sealing it is not quite within that definition, especially if the people doing the design work are at another company.

I may seem to be turning the argument a bit and getting off track, but it may be an important distinction that you can use in your plan to present an argument to your boss. You also need to make sure you only seal items that you consider to be in your area of expertise. Since you say the designs are simple, maybe you are covered on those issues.

 

[zelgar]

At least here in Indiana, and I think in most States, a public employee's salary is public knowledge. You can search online and find out the salary of any employee of the State's agencies. It's a little scary in this day and age of identity fraud.