Second Pay Equity Summit draws in 18 organizations

Second Pay Equity Summit draws in 18 organizations

Members of the Berkshire/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Coalition held a summit on Sept. 25 at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Theater in Great Barrington.

Robin Roraback

The second Berkshire/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Summit took place at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on Castle Street in Great Barrington on Sept. 25.

The Pay Equity Project began in 2021. It grew from a leadership program facilitated by Multicultural BRIDGE (Berkshire Resources for Integration of Diverse Groups and Education) and the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation provided support for it. It was inspired by the voices of the underpaid workers in an open letter to White American Theater, and the grass roots movements Change the Museum, and Change Berkshire Culture.

An anonymous worker commented “Even after ten years I have no retirement savings, and I’m still paying off college debt. I have no safety net, I’m sacrificing financial stability, along with my mental health. This is not sustainable.”

The Pay Equity Project is co-led by Kristen van Ginhoven and Aron Goldman. “We work individually and collectively in the spirit of cultural humility and mutual learning,” van Ginhoven said. “Right now, we are focused on changing internal systems, becoming more transparent with our boards, staff and communities and reporting our efforts at pay equity summits.”

The coalition was formed with six members and has grown to eighteen and has become a movement. Some of the members are: Ancram Center for the Arts, Art Omi, Barrington Stage Company, Community Access to the Arts (CATA), Jacob’s Pillow, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, The Mount, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Hancock Shaker Village.

According to the 2024 Summit summary: “Entry and mid-level arts and culture workers in this region struggle to put gas in their cars, find decent housing, access basic healthcare, feed their families and as a result, maintain their financial, physical and emotional wellbeing.” And more, “These challenges are more pronounced for people of color and other identity groups who have historically experienced oppression.”

In spite of workers’ struggles financially, arts and culture are important to the region’s economy, bringing in $398 million annually and supplying 5,500 jobs in Berkshire County. These jobs include groundskeepers, administrators, and support staff, not just artists.

In 2023, the Berkshire/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Project made recommendations which the coalition is striving to put into practice. These included pay increases, more benefits including health insurance for part-time employees, and improvements in retirement plans.

Although not perfect, the coalition reported at the summit that there has been “a wide range of financial and non-financial improvements that are making a real difference.” Workers said in a new survey done this year, that although they “continue to feel their situation is unsustainable,” the changes have had “positive mental health consequences” and a “palpable effect on staff morale” in part due to knowing their employers are trying to improve things.

Employers reported, “improved morale leading to reduced turnover and a corresponding long-term cost reduction that can offset new costs associated with pay equity initiatives.”

A question the Pay Equity project often gets is how the pay increases will be paid for. AJ Pietrantone, the deputy Director of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival contributed “A lot of people assume pay equity will break the bank, but we are showing that it can be done using innovative practices from around the country, sharing strategies regionally, collectively working to expand funding and create new systems and including entry and mid-level workers themselves in the process in meaningful ways.”

At the summit, the coalition announced it will continue to work on pay equity in their membership. The coalition also has plans to secure affordable housing for workers as well as transportation. They will continue to report changes they make “toward employer and collective systems change.” The coalition hopes to attract new members and to include entry and mid-level workers as voices in the coalition. They plan a 2025 summit to report on progress.

“Our coalition works together, sharing strategies, inspiring each other, holding each other accountable to a bold pay equity agenda,” Mahaiwe Executive Director Janis Martison. “It is challenging work, but it has all been rewarding as we begin to see meaningful change happening for entry and mid-level employees.”

Recent changes in Massachusetts may have been spurred by the coalition. On July 31, the Massachusetts legislature “passed a pay transparency bill requiring all employers with more than 25 employees to include salary bands and compensation on job announcements.” On Aug. 6, the Governor signed the Massachusetts affordable homes act. It gave five million dollars toward “seasonal supportive housing for the non-profit creative community in Berkshire County.” And on Sept. 20, days before the summit, the creation of the Cultural Economy Advisory Council was announced. It will explore “policies that support artists and cultural organizations.”

The summit concluded, “Pay equity is intrinsically valuable. But it also leads to organization effectiveness, artistic expression that inspires, and a vital creative economy.”

Latest News

Farm Fall Block Party returns to Rock Steady Farm
Rock Steady Farm during the 2024 Farm Fall Block Party. This year’s event returns Sept. 6.
Provided

On Saturday, Sept. 6, from 12 to 5 p.m., Rock Steady Farm in Millerton opens its fields once again for the third annual Farm Fall Block Party, a vibrant, heart-forward gathering of queer and BIPOC farmers, neighbors, families, artists, and allies from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.

Co-hosted with Catalyst Collaborative Farm, The Watershed Center, WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village, and Seasoned Delicious Foods, this year’s party promises its biggest celebration yet. Part harvest festival, part community reunion, the gathering is a reflection of the region’s rich agricultural and cultural ecosystem.

Keep ReadingShow less
The art of Marilyn Hock

Waterlily (8”x12”) made by Marilyn Hock

Provided

It takes a lot of courage to share your art for the first time and Marilyn Hock is taking that leap with her debut exhibition at Sharon Town Hall on Sept. 12. A realist painter with a deep love for wildlife, florals, and landscapes, Hock has spent the past few years immersed in watercolor, teaching herself, failing forward, and returning again and again to the page. This 18-piece collection is a testament to courage, practice and a genuine love for the craft.

“I always start with the eyes,” said Hock of her animal portraits. “That’s where the soul lives.” This attentiveness runs through her work, each piece rendered with care, clarity, and a respect for the subtle variations of color and light in the natural world.

Keep ReadingShow less
Reading and recommendations from Carissa Unite of Oblong Books

Carissa Unite, general manager of Oblong Books in Millerton.

Provided

Carissa Unite of Millerton, began working at Oblong Books 16 years ago as a high schooler. She recently celebrated her eight-year anniversary as the general manager.

Unite’s journey at Oblong began even before she applied for her first position.An avid reader from a young age, she was a frequent customer at the store. During those years, Unite bonded with a former employee who encouraged her to apply for a position after connecting over their shared love of reading.

Keep ReadingShow less