Employers have an interest in keeping worker wages relatively low. Employees, on the other hand, want to connect with as much compensation as they can. The tension between these two priorities has led to the establishment of various state and federal employment statutes.
There are many rules in place that protect the rights of workers regarding the pay that they receive. There are also numerous laws that protect workers when they attempt to organize and assert themselves when dealing with unfair working conditions. Companies sometimes try to limit employee efforts to increase their wages by implementing specific company policies.
Many companies include terms in their handbooks or training materials that warn their workers they cannot share details about their wages with one another or with the general public. If workers try to discuss their compensation, they may end up facing punishment if they get caught. In such scenarios, workers may have grounds to fight back, as their employers may have violated their rights.
Workers have the right to organize
Employees have a federally protected right to organize or unionize. Part of that process involves discussing working conditions and wages. Essentially, having conversations with others about pay and benefits is a protected activity.
Employers cannot prevent workers from discussing their wages, nor can they justify punishing them for doing so. In scenarios where employers have terminated workers for disclosing their wages to others or asking coworkers about their pay rate, the worker may have experienced a wrongful termination.
The company effectively retaliated against them for engaging in behavior that has protection under state and federal law. While many workers are proactive in their attempts to comply with company rules and avoid infractions that could endanger their careers, they should not have to accept unfair pay practices or lower wages than their coworkers.
Frequently, the only way for employees to identify whether a company may have offered them an unfairly low salary or hourly wage is to find out what others in the same position earn. Those who start potentially uncomfortable conversations about wages shouldn’t have to worry about punishment afterward.
Understanding the various employment laws that protect professionals can help those worried about their wages or dealing with inappropriate employer retaliation. Those punished for disclosing or discussing their wages may have grounds to take legal action because their employers have violated their rights.