DOJ Antitrust And Workers Win Big in Las Vegas Wage-Fixing Case

Open Markets Institute Legal Director Sandeep Vaheesan released the following statement on the April 14 decision by a federal jury to convict a Las Vegas executive for participating in a three-year conspiracy to fix the wages for home healthcare nurses: 

“We congratulate the Department of Justice Antitrust Division for persuading a jury that the executive of a staffing company violated the Sherman Act by collusively suppressing the wages of nurses. In addition to securing justice for these essential healthcare workers, this win puts all employers on notice that wage-fixing among rivals, just like price-fixing among competing sellers, is categorically illegal and punishable under the law.” 

“This victory came after a series of setbacks and illustrates how critical it is for government to persist in its efforts to enforce the law. Rather than abandon its pro-worker enforcement campaign after trial losses, the DOJ revised its strategy and tactics and persuaded a jury that the federal antitrust laws protect workers’ right to a fair competitive market for their services.” 

“Wins like this make America fairer and more equal, and underscore the pioneering work of former AAG Jonathan Kanter and his team. We were pleased to note the support for this case from the new AAG of the Antitrust Division, Gail Slater, and we hope AAG Slater and her team use these powerful laws to put workers front and center.”  

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