North Carolina workers are often told not to talk about their wages. That's not legal. [View all]
Under federal law, keeping employees from discussing pay with coworkers is an unfair labor practice. Yet across North Carolina, workers, advocates, and labor experts say such “pay gag” infractions are widespread, with awareness of the law at a minimum.
Whether it’s a formal company policy or off-the-cuff words from a manager, a strict prohibition or a gentler ask, any communication that might reasonably stifle workers from sharing their salaries is, in the vast majority of situations, a violation of the National Labor Relations Act.
“It is not isolated to specific industries or even white-collar, blue-collar,” said Jeff Hirsch of the UNC School of Law. “One of the reasons it’s so prevalent despite the fact that it’s clearly illegal is that most people have no clue.”
Despite the law, many companies continue to maintain pay secrecy policies. A 2021 nationwide study by the Washington-based Institute for Women’s Policy Research found close to 50% of full-time employees reported having been dissuaded or prohibited from discussing pay at work.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/09/21/north-carolina-workers-discuss-wages-despite-workplace-rule/5796705001/
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I've been told this in the past, and I didn't even live in NC. How about you?
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