Quilts, Inc. informed its current faculty today that it will raise teacher pay rates by 33%, the first pay raise for teachers at International Quilt Festival (IQF) since at least 1998. A letter sent to teachers and parts of a US gambling apps list this morning from Judy Murrah, Vice President of Education and Administration at Quilts, Inc., stated:
And if, as they say, ‘All good things come in threes,’ all of you Quilt Festival faculty members have some good news coming your way. Effective with Fall Quilt Festival/Houston 2016, the following changes, which have been under consideration for some time, will be instituted:
· Basic teacher pay will increase by 33%. For a 3-hour class, teachers will receive $20 per student (up from $15) and for a 6-hour class, teachers will receive $40 per student (up from $30).
· For multiple day classes, teacher pay per student will double (to $80) or triple (to $120), depending on the number of days the class is taught.
· Additionally, the policy restricting faculty from teaching/lecturing within a 100 mile radius of the Festival venue for ten days before or after Festival will be eliminated. This policy pre-dated the advent of online classes and was intended to help each teacher fill classes without being diluted by the same class being offered nearby.
This news is especially gratifying to me. On November 24, 2015, I wrote an article for the Craft Industry Alliance Journal about this issue titled “Teacher Pay Rate at International Quilt Festival is Untenably Low.” For the piece I spoke with nearly a dozen veteran teachers who told me that despite teaching a full load of classes at this world-renown show they were barely able to break even and some even lost money.
They overwhelmingly agreed that they were in dire need of a raise in pay, yet every one of the women I spoke with requested to remain anonymous for fear of being blacklisted by Quilts, Inc. “Unfortunately, most of us in the quilt world know that if we speak out, that those amazing and strong Texas women have the power to greatly damage our careers,” one teacher said.
This morning I’ve been deluged with emails from the teachers I spoke with for the story, and from others. One said,
Looks like all your work has really helped to get us all that much needed increased teaching fee for the Houston show! Thank you very much for all your input and your bravery in speaking out. Really well done and much appreciated by me and all of the teachers I am sure.
Another said,
IQF has increased teacher pay… hooray! It’s still not in line with what other venues pay but it’s a start. And none of us believed it would ever happen…So – Thank you SO much for giving a voice to many who have felt we couldn’t speak up. We greatly appreciate it!
And another:
Hey Abby, I wanted to give you a shout for making the impossible possible! Never thought I’d see they day IQF would budge on teaching rates. They’ve held on to this belief that they were so special they didn’t need to pay a decent wage for so long it seemed set in stone. Thanks so much for creating such a thoughtful intelligent platform for the art/crafting industry, that made change possible.
A huge thank you to my source who brought this issue to my attention in the first place, and to all of the women who bravely came forward to share their experiences with me despite their fears.
Our collective voice is powerful. Words are powerful. Change is possible. Hundreds of talented women in this industry will now get paid closer to what they deserve for the incredible work that they do. There is more to be done, but every step is significant.
You are a champion. A leader. And an inspiration to us all. Thank you, Abby. For caring enough to speak out and make the changes happen.
I remember reading this article and being shocked at how expensive it was for teachers to work at this shows (I am not a teacher myself, I just quilt and am intensely curious :)). I feel like you are playing a critical role in representing the crafting industry – thank you for using your words to articulate a felt void/need in the quilting world!
Thank you so much.
Well done for speaking out for those who were afraid to speak! I like your style!
Wonderful! I think sometimes in this community people can be so concerned with being positive/nice/friendly that they don’t speak up for fear of rocking the boat. I’m happy that you recognize when it’s important to talk about areas for improvement.
I’m glad they listened.
Me too.
Talk about the squeaky wheel getting the grease. Well done!
“Blacklisted”? Wow. That sounds so cchildish. Happy there are people willing to stand up for the voices unable or aftaid to speak, in whatever arena they find themselves in. Bravo!
Go, Abby! I am so happy to hear that teachers will be paid more and the no teaching classes before and after has been eliminated. Kudos to you for speaking up. I can’t wait to hear more from you about these kinds of issues.
Well done, Abby.
The teachers keep the industry going and up to date. Good for you for giving them a voice!
Congratulations! Speaking out is never easy and I am sure that what you did has helped make a difference to many lives. Good for you for bringing this issues onto the spotlight!
Wow. Wow. Wow. First, thank you Abby for speaking out for those who cannot. Second, I’m glad those teaching there are getting the much needed pay rate. However, I think those in charge over at Quilta, Inc need to really get with the times. They really need to go to a local Joann’s and see how much those teachers get paid. While they increased the pay, those who teach classes at Joann’s, Michael’s or similar locations are still getting higher pay than those big name teachers there and that’s just crazy!
It is a start though. The Craft Industry Alliance should be a way for all crafters to have a collective voice. Abby has a gift for writing about the way working conditions are in reality in a compelling and sensitive way.
Even if they were not actually “black listed”, there was always the knowledge that if they complained, there would be someone else desperate enough for the exposure to step in and teach.
Oh yes, it is most definitely a start. I just really hope that it doesn’t take them another 18 years to do it again considering they are still behind the curve.
You go girl! Way to speak up AND be heard!
Yay! That’s wonderful that your speaking up helped so many people! :):):)
Well good for you. Well done. Once again, women’s work is under-valued.
However, I don’t think the women were all that “brave.” Brave would have been if they had let their names stand, boycotted, or any other action.
Decent pay for quilt teachers should also be supported by individual quilt guilds. Guilds are notoriously under-funded, and cheap! Members will have to start paying more for guild membership and for teachers if they want to take a stand and support the quilt industry.
And–I am not a q-teacher.
You raise a good point about teacher pay through quilt shops and guilds being too low. Especially when we consider the enormous amount of time teachers must spend developing new projects and techniques, creating samples and lesson plans, kits or supply lists, before ever setting foot in the classroom.
All I can say is WOW! How encouraging to see a positive change in this industry so soon after you shed light on the problem and provided a public forum for discussion! I would like to see paychecks for ALL the creative people in this industry go up — not just teachers but pattern makers, fabric designers, long arm quilters… I really appreciate you sharing your unique perspective and expertise to empower the (mostly) women whose passion for their craft is also their profession. There are so many talented people out there whose ideas and intellectual property are enriching the big business of quilting. The artists, designers, teachers and authors deserve a much bigger piece of the pie!
Kudos to you, Abby! Way to go!
It’s pretty amazing that they were so stuck in their ways that they didn’t recognize the need to raise the fees earlier. Of course, that will be passed on to the student via higher class fees and while I doubt I’ll ever get to the Houston Festival, it is nice that they finally recognized the need to increase the rates. The fact that they don’t even cover teacher expenses is also pretty sad, when you consider that this is actually considered one of the largest festivals in the world if not the largest. Quilters look to Houston as the place to be every October.
Well done. Congratulations to those who were willing to speak up and to Abby who brought it to light.
Congratulations Abby. I love your blog and postings.
Abby is the one who is constantly brave to stand up for what is right.
Thanks, Abby, for championing the cause for the quilting educators….we all benefit! Love your blog and patterns…thanks for those also
Woo Hoo! So glad the teachers get a pay raise. Now I may consider taking a class when I attend the show. I believe that with the attention to the pay of CEOS & other high salaries of non-profits to the fore front of the news, it was a smart move on IQF. You teachers deserve it. Imagine if they would at least pay for your room even if it were double occupancy. There should be a portion of transportation reimbursed, but that is a item that can be brought up later. Now that eyes have been open, I hope other venues will up the ante for instructors. ASG is headquartered in Houston. I have no idea how they pay their teachers or those who do lectures.
Thanks, Sharon. As I noted in the article, Quilt Festival is not run by a non-profit. It is run by Quilts, Inc. which is a for-profit company. Even if it were a non-profit, though, non-profit organizations pay their professional staff market rate.
Absolutely fabulous. Well done Abby, I’m sure this is due to you in no small way. I hope you feel fantastic. It takes nerve to speak out and you are showing how to do it.