Project Syndicate - Why the US Must Ban Non-Compete Clauses

Legal director Sandeep Vaheesan co-authors an article about the hardships of laborers in the US that are restricted by non-compete agreements, and the opportunity for the Biden administration to diminish these clauses.

US President Joe Biden tweeted in August, “instead of workers begging employers for work, we’re seeing employers have to compete for American workers.” Many corporations, however, are not competing for workers. Instead, they’re using non-compete clauses to lock their employees in place, with more and more employers suing workers for seeking new opportunities. Tens of millions of workers across the United States are currently subject to contracts that force them to stay at their current jobs despite better opportunities elsewhere, thus limiting their freedom to accept a job or to start a business in their field.

In the past few years, many states – including Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, and Oregon – have restricted employers’ ability to impose these contracts on workers. But the recent weakening of a landmark law on non-compete clauses in the District of Columbia shows the limitations of the state-by-state approach.

Read full article here.