Isn't this a violation of the National Labor Relations Act, Section 8(a)(1)?

Employers can't forbid employees from talking about terms and conditions of employment.

-Mark

They may be arguing that use of a private document is what is being punished, not the discussion itself.

How does all this figure into the free market anyway? It sounds to me that the exec who sees she's missing out on $30,000 is just listening to the "invisible hand."

--Kynn

To be fair, I doubt seriously that Fox is the only "news" organization that has this policy. I'd be willing to bet that ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and all the other networks and affiliates have the same kind of policy -- I used to work in a podunk station in Kirksville, MO and they had the same kind of policy. It may not be legal, but a lot of companies try to get away with it anyway by having a policy on the books about not talking about salaries. Such is the entertainment business.

I am wondering who will be the first to post the email (and salary info) on the web. That surely will tweak the folks at FOX, and make it harder to persecute/prosecute leakers. I want a copy myself.

The first commment on this list -- concerning the possibility that Fox's threat may have violated federal labor law -- is very interesting. One often forgets that the NLRA protects non-union workers as well when they are acting collectively, including discussing salary information. I'm glad there are some people who remember this!

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