Workers are often told not to talk about pay. That's not legal

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. Studies show younger workers tend to be more open about their pay, and since the dearth of staff has pushed starting salaries higher - service staff say they've grown more curious to know what newly hired coworkers are earning. These dynamics may set up more clashes between workers and management over the sharing of wages. In court, it has been interpreted to provide workers the right to discuss wages "For the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection." The NLRB doesn't track how many unfair labor practice charges it receives that are related to wage discussions, but department spokesperson Kayla Blado said it's "Not uncommon" to discover workers being directed to keep silent about their pay. Another factor leading to the sustainability of labor law-defying workplace policies, Rosenfeld pointed out, is the fact many workers aren't inclined to discuss their wages with colleagues in the first place.