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Can your employer forbid you from discussing your wages?

On Behalf of | Jul 31, 2024 | Employment Law

A lot of people do not like to discuss how much they earn. Some think it is vulgar, while others fear reprisal from their employer for doing so. Some might even have signed an employment contract that forbids them from discussing their wages

California labor law is designed so that people should feel free to discuss their wages. It forbids employers from demanding secrecy about wages from employees. Employers cannot tell employees they cannot talk about how much they earn. They cannot have them sign a contract to promise not to disclose their earnings. They cannot retaliate against someone who does discuss their wages with others.

Secrecy harms wage equality

Preventing people from discussing salaries and bonuses helps to maintain existing inequalities. For example, the recent focus on gender equality would not get far if some people had not told their colleagues how much they were earning.

Secrecy can also be used to discriminate against people based on their race, skin color, religion or whether they have a disability. For example, someone with Asian roots, whose employer has been paying them less than the white employees, might never know because the other employees have never engaged with them in a conversation about earnings.

Employees are not obligated to reveal their earnings

Of course, people are free to keep the details of their income to themselves should they wish. But a certain amount of sharing across the community, or within a workplace can make it much harder for an employer to practice wage discrimination.

If you think you have been a victim of wage discrimination, then learning more about your legal options is a good first step to take.

 

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