This happened relatively recently. Fast forward to third paragraph to get to the potential violation.
I was a part of a training program that was centered on a sales position. It is a field known for being commission-based. It was meant to train those with no experience from the ground up, all the way to competent professionals in their roles. I was overjoyed after getting an acceptance upon the conclusion of the four interview hiring process, but began to notice quite a few red flags.
The biggest red flag was that before hiring and throughout the training program, we were never told what our compensation plan would be after graduating the program and entering a branch. I asked numerous times, and was never given a straight answer until the day before graduation and branch transfer, when I was given a comp plan that was…. disappointing.
I called a coworker at the branch we were intended to transfer to, and I simply asked him what FORMAT he started on when he first began, whether percentage-based commission or a flat bonus for each sale. He answered my question, and then proceeded to ask his branch manager, for his own curiosity, whether the new trainees arriving at his branch were being paid differently. Needless to say, when my boss figured out that I had been asking coworkers about their compensation, she was quite upset. She called me and berated me over the phone, telling me that asking coworkers about their compensation plans was not allowed, and that by doing so, I had “put the branch transfer success of not only myself, but my fellow trainees in jeopardy”.
It was terrifying to hear that from a boss, and I became physically sick after getting off that call. Couldn't eat much that night, and had some pretty bad anxiety. Then I realized that I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that employers weren't allowed to instruct employees not to ask about wages, so I got her to repeat her instructions to me in writing over an email and texts and acknowledge the threat to my employment she made, which I have saved.
My question is this: is this action alone a violation of the law? And if it is, what is my recourse? From what I understand, you can really only sue for damages if something happened BEYOND the threat, such as a demotion, firing, pay decrease, harassment, or something similar. However, even if I cannot sue, did they still violate a law that can have them facing some sort of penalty, even if that penalty isn't necessarily a civil suit? Would appreciate realistic advice on this, as I want to know if she or the company she represents can face literally any consequences at all for what she did. Thank you.
Edited for grammar