It would probably be a good idea.
"State payouts sealed with a promise of silence; Despite questions about free speech and possible coverups, agencies often build gag orders into settlements, severance deals" April 24, 2011|By Todd Wallack, Globe Staff
A University of Massachusetts Medical School nursing assistant won a $150,000 settlement after she complained she was harassed by a supervisor.
A state highway worker won $170,000 after he was taunted by co-workers and bosses who thought he was gay.
And three MBTA workers received a total of more than $100,000 in “enhanced severance’’ after being let go.
All the deals came with an important catch: The former employees had to keep silent about the payments or face legal action. They signed settlement or severance agreements that required them to keep the terms secret.
Far from unusual, Massachusetts government agencies have sworn scores of workers to secrecy as part of lucrative settlement or severance deals, a Globe review of public records shows. Many pacts also include non-disparagement clauses that prohibit workers from saying anything negative about their former employer.
While confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses are commonly used by private companies, they are much more controversial in the public sector....
Which may very well be true; however, I object to this agenda-pushing, front-page Sunday feature and its implication that these deals are somehow part of the states economic difficulties when they are handing millions of tax dollars to corporations and banks every month.
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