A Redditor grabbed the internet's attention when she claimed in a now-viral post that she was written up by her employer over the summer for discussing pay with her coworkers.
Posting to Reddit's "Anti Work" forum on Monday under the username u/spicymemories19, the Redditor shared a photo of the employee warning report she received at the time. Per the report, the Redditor was written up for "insubordination," "policy violations" and "other."
So far, the post has received more than 39,000 votes and over 1,800 comments.
In their statement, the employer said that the Redditor "cause[d] dissension among co-workers" by "discussing salary with co-workers." However, the Redditor claimed that this never happened.
"I was called up to management's office on a Monday and my boss told me that she was 'very disappointed in me,'" she explained in the comments section of the post.
"I asked why because I honestly had NO idea what I had done. I was then told that I had 'texted all my coworkers over the weekend and told them how much I make/asked them how much they make,'" she continued.
But when the Redditor explained that she didn't have her coworkers' phone numbers, her boss accused her of lying.
"I then told her that pay was being discussed and I had heard talk. She asked me who was discussing pay and I refused to tell her. Then, and I quote, [she said]: 'tell me who told you their pay or I am writing you up.' I told her to go ahead," the Redditor wrote.
After being written up, the Redditor claimed that her employer "reduced [her] hours."
"I was aware that being punished for discussing pay was illegal and brought that up to management as soon as they gave me the write-up," u/spicymemories19 told Newsweek.
"Managment immediately attempted to talk me down and give me the runaround, saying that 'maybe in some states it isn't legal but since we put the policy in the handbook we are protected.' I knew this wasn't true but needed the money so badly at the time that I accepted the write-up and moved on," she explained.
"However, the next day I brought up the write-up with another member of management and she sat me down in a room and told me that she had heard from another employee that I was caught abusing a child," the Redditor continued.
"Obviously I knew this was a lie and I immediately asked for proof. She said she had to figure out all the facts first but in the meantime, I needed to go home and 'think about if I really value my job.'"
The Redditor worked at a daycare but has since quit.
"I found another job within a week of quitting, that pays $15/hr vs the $11.25 I was making," u/spicymemories19 said.
Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), "employees have the right to communicate with other employees at their workplace about their wages," said the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on its website.
Employees covered by the NLRA may "discuss wages in face-to-face conversations and written messages," and can have these conversations "when not at work, when [they] are on break, and even during work if employees are permitted to have other non-work conversations."
The NLRA allows colleagues to disclose their salaries to one another, present joint requests to their employer about pay and organize a union to raise wages, among other things.
"When you and another employee have a conversation or communication about your pay, it is unlawful for your employer to punish or retaliate against you in any way for having that conversation," said the NLRB. "It is also unlawful for your employer to interrogate you about the conversation, threaten you for having it, or put you under surveillance for such conversations."
Some Redditors, aware of the protections provided under the NLRA, encouraged u/spicymemories19 to file a report.
"Please report this to the NLRB. ... I am so f***ing sick of businesses operating as little fiefdoms where whatever they say is law," wrote u/shake_appeal.
"This needs to be copied and sent to [the] state labor board, with additional information on who threatened you and the position they hold. For all you know, you may not be the first to file [a] complaint about this particular person and/or employer," said u/TheGuidanceCounseler.
Redditor u/spicymemories19 told Newsweek that she has not yet contacted a lawyer, but plans to do so in the near future.
