[klabb3]

Isn’t it illegal in the US for an employer to share your compensation data with third parties? Or do they skirt the rules by “anonymizing” it?

> we live in a culture of "we shouldn't talk about compensation."

Yeah especially now that the cat is out of the bag, but restricted to employers. Such a data set should absolutely be made available to workers. Information symmetry is critical for a functioning market. And capitalists love markets, right?

[aerhardt]

Whether it’s anonymized or not, if this is real, it’s fucking dystopian.

[klabb3]

Yes, but merely a reflection and reminder of a dystopian reality that already permeated society long ago. It’s obvious that if they are allowed they would. The faster people drop the illusion that corporations[1] have emotions and “care” and such, the better people can protect themselves, organize and rebalance the scales I guess.

[1]: A generalization. There are more amoral, faceless self-perpetuating machines than just corporations, and there are many small- and medium sized companies that may be incorporated while maintaining human decency.

[randomcarbloke]

If I think I get paid more than you in the same role it's absolutely in my interest to keep that information from you. With departmental budgets in mind, you receiving a raise may limit the total compensation available to me when I negotiate my own.

[eecc]

Ever heard of the allegory “I capponi di Renzo” from the Promessi Sposi novel by Alessandro Manzoni? Look it up

[hayst4ck]

> “i capponi di Renzo”, has become a proverbial admonition in Italian culture

> Renzo is carrying these poor capons (castrated male chicken) as his only means of payment to a well-off city lawyer, whom Renzo intends to hire... Manzoni (the author) notes that, had the capons been a little more intelligent, they would have started picking the hand that kept them captive, therefore regaining their freedom. Instead, the capons fought among themselves and ended up being delivered with great ease to their recipient.

[randomcarbloke]

Don't be daft, my employer is not my adversary.

[hayst4ck]

Are you for real?

You think you are in a zero sum relationship with your co-workers, but not your boss/company?

The word negotiation indicates two parties with conflicting interests reaching an agreement. You don't negotiate with your co-worker, you negotiate with an HR department. You are literally in conflict with your employer. Your employer benefits by paying you the minimum possible, and you benefit by being paid the maximum possible.

You and your co-worker benefit by breaking open the companies books and knowing how much they could be paying you but aren't.

[kevin_thibedeau]

It's legal everywhere except in New York.