...and they will start at an equally higher rate than they would have otherwise.

And if they can lay people off that easily, they probably weren't worth the money to begin with. Or, the company is badly run and doesn't understand the value of their employees.

Either way, having been in management, I agree that it would benefit everyone if it was transparent, as it keeps everyone honest. That said, taking a formerly private disclosure and making it public would be a disaster; it's kind of amazing how some people make what they do doing the same job.