John,
Today, 30 million Americans are being held back from getting better jobs, pursuing their goals, or leaving hostile or unsafe work environments because of non-compete clauses.
If you’re not familiar with what a non-compete clauses is, they’re contracts businesses force employees to sign that restrict them from leaving for another company if the employer claims it poses a threat to them. Often, workers don’t even know they’ve signed them until they get another job and they or their new employer get sued by their old employer.
In effect, they’re a tool companies can use to trap workers.
Non-compete clauses are another example of how the economy is stacked against Amercians, especially low-income workers who are simply trying to afford their lives.
It’s an abusive practice we need to stop. That’s why I assembled a coalition of Attorneys General from across the country to urge the Federal Trade Commission to officially classify non-compete clauses as unfair and illegal.
We just launched our effort, and I’m hoping you’ll help us make a statement right out of the gate in support of the 1 in 5 workers currently being held back by non-compete clauses:
There is no reason a barista, home health aide, or cook shouldn’t be able to change employers if they find a better opportunity. But employers use non-compete to keep them in place, keeping wages down for them and their industry in the process.
If businesses want to retain their employees, they should focus on becoming a better place to work, not threaten workers with lawsuits.
Thank you,
Keith Ellison
