What are the salaries of graphic artists in a sign company?

[celtoc50]

I make around $17/hr for a small sign company. I considering asking for a raise but I'm wondering if this is a fair enough pay, or whether I'm underpaid. I've worked with them for about 10 years. I have little idea what is the going rate for today's graphic artists in the sign industry because I never discuss my pay with anyone.

[txcncman]

$17? My oldest son is a graphic artist and makes $0 as a graphic artist. Last I heard he was making like $12 an hour stocking groceries. I do not know what the top end of the pay scale is for graphic artists, but now you have an idea of what the bottom end is like.

LOL

[celtoc50]

Well, I hope your can son eventually finds a job as a graphic artist. Before I got my current job I was unemployed and would probably have worked for minimum wage just to get my foot in the door. I should be thankful I got a job. However, I've now worked there for a number of years and it has now become a matter of fairness. What is my worth compared to my co-workers? Is this person getting an exorbitantly higher paycheck even if all he does is take a smoke break every half hour? Could I get a higher salary at a different company? Am I limiting myself by being satisfied with what I have? I posed this question just so that I have a better idea where I may be in regards to pay scale. I also know that all kinds of determining factors, like what part of the country you're in, your skill level and experience, etc. Thanks for your response. I hope others will chime in.

[bpoulin]

Have you received any raise in the 10 years you've worked there? Traditionally you should receive at minimum 3% raise every year. 5% if you are a good employee. Although if you haven't received a raise in 10 years, asking for them to give you a 30% raise probably isn't practical. However a 7-10% raise isn't a bad idea. Although if you risk losing your job, don't push too hard. There aren't many jobs out there, and frankly they could probably replace you with someone who will work for $12-15 an hr. So be reasonable, and sell yourself, but don't threaten them with leaving.

[lovebugjunkie]

Take care on how you approach this with your boss or HR. Last company I worked for downsized a number of times over a 15 year period. The GA department was one of the first departments to be done away with. They found it cheaper to outsource.