Employees have to think of themselves as an asset with their employer aiming to minimize costs. Salaries are a negotiation with risk involved. It is a free market, with many competing companies aiming to reduce costs. Does a free market mean all companies can't communicate? The companies are still free to hire whoever they want. People are still free to work for whoever they want.

Thanks for the book suggestion, please feel free to quote more books without debating my comments.