I am currently a postdoc at an R1 university in the southeast (don't want to get too specific on locale). Before this, I was a term biologist with the federal government, the office was so mismanaged and toxic that I quit after a year. And I am grateful to my graduate advisor for bringing me back to be a postdoc, since I was seriously becoming suicidal in my govt. job.
Now, my university likes to boast about how robust our STEM research labs are. We have some internationally respected PIs. But like most universities, they are relying more and more on adjuncts rather than offering tenure-track positions. These adjuncts earn slightly more than a graduate student stipend. I'm in the biological sciences, and they have been advertising for an adjunct to take over the physiology courses – PhD required. It has been vacant for several years. They offered it to recent PhDs from the program, but these candidates went to the local community college or other universities because the pay was better. The position remains unfilled. I was offered to adjunct at a college about an hour away from where my husband and I live. The salary was less than $1000/month. That was a hard no.
When I returned as a postdoc, I learned that my PI could not hire me as an associate/postdoc. She had the funds, but they needed proof of obtaining an additional grant (which they take a 51% cut) to hire me. Unfortunately, fewer federal grants are being given to universities because so much money goes to overheads. The only way I could get hired quickly was via the university's temporary employment system (TES). So I was doing postdoc level work at a technician's salary. During the summer, which is our busy season with respect to research, I learned I had maxed out the number of allowed working hours for TES. My PI spoke with the head of our department to get extra hours for extenuating circumstances (she had the funding for my salary). The dept. head's response? Fire her, and get an undergrad to finish the project. Let me reiterate: have an undergrad finish a doctoral level project requiring several years of specialized lab skills. I ultimately ended up working 3 months. FOR FREE. My grandmother and in-laws helped support us during that period. I tried finding other positions, I never received a response from any applications (huh, thought there was a worker shortage from people being lazy).
I finally wrote a proposal that was funded for 3-5 years, ~100 – 150k/year (and 51% goes to the university). My salary was SUPPOSED to be 47- 50k/year. Well, even though I have benefits through my husband, 31% of my salary goes to fringe benefits, regardless. At this point, I can only hope to hit the mid 30s. Of course, my advisor was excited I could stay for 5 years. I told her flatly today: I will not stay here for 5 years at that pay grade. I got the 'surprised Pikachu face'. Shit, my net last year was 21k.
I wrote the proposal that got us funding. I'm writing the animal use protocols. I collect the data, run, the stats, write and submit the subsequent manuscripts. And I'm working on a second proposal for additional funds. My situation is not unique. Grad students, adjuncts, postdocs are being exploited to the extreme, and there is documented research supporting the fact that employees cannot do their best work when they're worried about how they can pay the bills. Or which bill do they not pay so they can put food on the table. In my case, I also have student loans from undergrad, which is basically a mortgage payment each month. Shit, I could barely focus on experimental design when I had a $500 student loan payment breathing down my neck. Even when I was a graduate student, the various student fees increased annually, our stipend remained the same. I think all of the student fees (aka administrative bullshit) equated to one month's salary.
Yet somehow, as a scientist, I am supposed 'look beyond' the pay and sacrifice myself for the glory of research. Fuck that. A few professors have expressed their concern about not being able to attract quality students due to the low stipends, and the same may be said for profs (since they mainly hire adjuncts now). Universities are not adjusting stipends and salary in response to COL and inflation. Our town is undergoing massive gentrification. We ended up in a rough part of town and we pay over $1500/month for a small apartment; that's all we could afford. I'm planning to bail as soon as a better opportunity presents itself.
I am grateful that my PI saved me from my last position, but I will not accept abysmal pay for 5 years for the sake of loyalty. Colleges and universities pump money into fancy sports complexes, administration, and advertising while sacrificing the wellbeing of people who actually do the research that brings the prestige. These same institutions then have the audacity to wonder why performance is down (e.g. fewer students, published papers, etc.). Fewer PhDs are entering academia, and I certainly will not be one of them.