Hacker News Reader

I never understood what is the motivation for keeping the salaries in industry secret. It seems to reward precisely the wrong kind of behavior!

View on HN

Transparent Salaries do lead to wage inflation see how CEO salaries went up after those where published.

"What That Idiot Hardcastle at International widgets is on 2 Million, I am worth more than that."

The other reason is that it might expose direct or indirect discrimination.

I think you’ve answered your own question. Salaries are secret largely based on the stigma that employers have put around publicizing them, because it allows employers to act from a more advantaged position.

But this system is allowed to continue only because the employees admit it. I guess it is not illegal to disclose your own salary. Or is it? Can an employer fire you if you disclose your salary?

In academia, even while the salaries are rather meager, at least they are public and equal to everybody (depending only on your position and seniority, according to some public tables). We could very well do with a bit of wage inflation!

In the US, for private-sector employees, not only is it not illegal, it is a protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935. Your employer cannot forbid or fire you for discussing salaries or job conditions.

(IANAL)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com