Hilltop Operations Hurt by Pay Struggles

Like other newspapers that appear in our front yards or on newsstands regularly, there is a degree of mystery that goes into producing The Hilltop. Just as the average person probably doesn't think about the work that a reporter puts into a story, many people are unaware of the amount of work that goes into The Hilltop's production, all day and every week. It is said that news is a 24-hour business, and the long hours that we devote to The Hilltop day after day are reflective of that point.

However, we have been working short-staffed and underpaid for too long without having our concerns properly addressed. This problem has been going on since August, and there is only approximately one month left of production. Due to changes in the payroll process, 15 current and former staff members have not been paid, or have not been paid in full for their contributions to the paper. We have followed the bureaucratic procedure long enough, and now we have decided to speak out.

It is not our intention to complain about the difficulty of our jobs. We chose to work at The Hilltop, and many of us are preparing for even-more demanding careers as professional journalists.

As a staff, we love what we do and are committed to offering the student body the best product that we possibly can, but The Hilltop is a student-run business. As in any other business, workers expect to be compensated, as promised, for their labor.

Our issue is not simply one of financial distress or greed because we understand that most college journalists are not paid. However, Hilltop staff members have not been paid with the promise and the expectation that we would be. On top of that, half of the original staff of 34 have left, leaving the remaining staff with more demanding roles and responsibilities outside of their positions.

Again, just as any other business might experience difficulties if its employees did not receive their paychecks for an extended period of time, this lack of compensation has caused internal problems at The Hilltop. It is difficult to hold people to certain responsibilities for and standards of their jobs when they have not been paid. Imagine how quickly your interaction with an annoying customer would change if you knew that you weren't going to get your paycheck.