Generally, no. In California, employers usually cannot impose “pay secrecy” rules or punish you for talking about wages. Labor Code § 232 protects employees who disclose their own wages and bars retaliation, and the California Equal Pay Act also protects discussing wages, asking about coworkers’ wages, and retaliation-free pay transparency. Most private-sector workers also have federal protection under the NLRA to discuss wages with coworkers.
Reach out to Attorney 4 Employment Rights. We can review what your employer said or did, spot retaliation, help preserve proof, and map the strongest next step.
