Starting pay for officers is about $400 a month, not much above minimum wages here.

Starting pay for a private first class is $17,472.

The range of starting annual pay for officers here was raised last year to $44,500 to nearly $60,000, depending on experience and educational levels.

In the firefighters' settlement, the city agreed to raise starting pay by $9,900, to $35,000.

The proposal would raise starting pay for new teachers to $48,750, from $39,000 a year under the most recent contract, which expired in May 2003.

The company plans to hire 1,150 graduates this year at starting pay of $30,000 to $34,000.

Starting pay for the child-care workers is $20,000 a year, on average, and many employees hold second jobs to make ends meet.

Their average salary is $42,500, or $20,000 above starting pay.

Starting pay for screeners rose from $5.91 an hour to $10 plus health benefits.

Starting pay at Eastern is $1,450 a month - about 24 percent below the industry average.