I have an employee who opened my paystub to see how much I make. He told me he has every right to know and it is not illegal for him to do this. He said he can do it to every employee if he feels like it. Is this true? I am in Vermont.
Ann Kiernan replies:
No! Not in Vermont or anywhere else does an employee have the right to invade co-workers’ privacy like that. However, under federal labor law, as well as the laws of several states, workers do have the right to discuss their own pay with colleagues. So, your co-worker has the right to know information that others have chosen to share with him, but not to rip open other people’s pay envelopes or otherwise take that information without permission.
Posted 02-14-2017
Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.
