Crowdsourced wage transparency spreadsheets are going ‘viral’. Are you ready to get involved?
OCTOBER 10, 2019 | COWORKER.ORG
Across industries, and across the country, workers are embracing the power of salary transparency using crowdsourced spreadsheets to share information about their compensation. Inspired by a spreadsheet created by adjunct professors at US universities, Art + Museum Transparency launched their own spreadsheet in May 2019 that quickly took off. Now, inspired by their efforts, Philly baristas have created a spreadsheet of their own.
In less than a week’s time, similar spreadsheets have popped up, crowdsourcing wage transparency among baristas in Seattle, Boston, Asheville, Austin, Cincinnati, Chicago, SE Michigan, Greenville, New York City, Portland, Denver, Colorado Springs, Dallas/Fort Worth, DC, New Haven, Los Angeles and the Bay Area. (Check out the links below for a full, updated list of spreadsheets.)
In addition to starting important conversations about compensation, pay equity, and benefits, the crowdsourced spreadsheets function as a critical tool for employees seeking to work collectively for better wages.
While sharing salary information is often implicitly (or explicitly) discouraged by employers, you have the legal right to share your own salary information. Under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, The National Labor Relations Board has, “…long recognized that employees have a right to discuss wages and conditions of employment with third parties as well as each other.” (PDF Download) The Board has repeatedly made clear that these rights extend to online platforms.
These crowdsourced wage transparency efforts offer a powerful jumping-off point for industry-wide solidarity, discussions among coworkers, and, ultimately, a fight for fair wages and adequate benefits.
Ready to get involved? Below is a list of active wage transparency spreadsheets. Check out a map of local spreadsheets for baristas and other coffee workers here.
Want to start your own? Check out our Q&A with Arts + Museum Transparency for some tips before you get started. Feel free to reach out to Team Coworker at [email protected]. We’re also happy to help.
- Academia Salaries (Nationwide)
- Arts + Museum Transparency — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Philadelphia Baristas — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Seattle Coffee Workers — Public View — Submit Your Info
- New England Wage Transparency (Service Workers) — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Asheville, NC Coffee Wage Transparency — Submit Your Info
- Austin Coffee Worker Wages — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Bay Area Coffee Worker Wages — Public View — Submit Your Info
- SE Michigan Coffee Worker Wages — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Greater Cincinnati Area Wage Transparency for Service Workers — Submit Your Info
- Chicago Coffee Workers Wages and Salaries — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Greenville, SC Coffee Worker Wages — Public View — Submit Your Info
- NYC Coffee Wages — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Portland, OR Coffee Worker Wages — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Denver Coffee Workers Wages — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Colorado Springs Area Coffee Workers Wages — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Dallas/Forth Worth Coffee Workers Wages — Public View — Submit Your Info
- DC (DMV) Area Barista Wage Questionnaire — Public View — Submit Your Info
- New Haven Cafe/Restaurant Wages & Salaries —Public View — Submit Your Info
- Los Angeles and Greater LA Coffee Worker Wages — Public View — Submit Your Info
- St Louis Area Coffee Worker Wage Transparency Survey — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Miami-Dade / South Florida Barista Worker Wages — Submit Your Info
- Paralegal Pay Transparency (Nationwide) — Submit Your Info
- “Real Media Salaries” (Nationwide) — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Game Workers United US Game Writer Survey (Nationwide) — Submit Your Info
- Transparency in Publishing (Nationwide) — Public View— Submit Your Info
- “Real Agency Salaries” (Nationwide) — Public View — Submit Your Info
- Design Interns Club (Global) — Public View — Submit Your Info
We’ll keep this list updated as more become available. (Want your spreadsheet listed here? Share it with us on Twitter or via email.)
Coworker.org is a global platform to advance change in the workplace. Our platform makes it easy for individuals or groups of employees to launch, join, and win campaigns to improve their jobs and workplaces. You can start your own campaign for changes you want to see in your workplace here at Coworker.org, or contact us at [email protected] if you would like to discuss a workplace issue with our team.
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