Exactly, I would be willing to bet a lot of these folks would be upset / embarrassed if they knew the a coworker they thought to be below them was in fact comma

Exactly, I would be willing to bet a lot of these folks would be upset / embarrassed if they knew the a coworker they thought to be below them was in fact commanding a higher salary. Thing is, it's likely to be true. You don't get paid what you're worth, you get paid what you negotiate. But the ability to negotiate is a privilege. I go into this a bit more in a sibling comment.