U.S. Department of Justice Orders Apple and Others to Stop Engaging in Anti-Poaching Agreements

[Gasu E.]

This really stinks. I'll bet they will establish another bureaucracy to "enforce" this display of preventing employers from getting their people to honor their contracts.

Under California law, non-compete clauses are not enforceable. So the assertion that the US government is "preventing employers from getting their people to honor their contracts" is false.

 

[mdatwood]

I agree with others that, if the government does this, companies will make their employees sign even stricter NDA / Non compete contracts that will essentially legally prevent them from working anywhere else.

Even in the states that enforce non-competes they will not let one keep the employee from working and supporting him or herself. Many companies scare employees into signing non-competes anyway. My previous employer tried to have me sign one for what I thought were very unfair terms. I told them I would sign it, but they had to keep paying me for the entire time they didn't want me working somewhere else. That got their attention and I ended up not having to sign anything.

This whole issue isn't about companies freedom or government over regulation. It's about a free labor market. I'm a huge free market and anti-regulation supporter and I think this DoJ stance is a good thing. If you let a few big actors control the market it is then no longer free.

 

[slughead]

Wow, this is totally misguided. Did anyone ever think about this from the employee's perspective? Imagine getting a call to get a better job from a competing company.

Screw free speech and worker's rights, the more important thing is to make sure they're not being mean and cutthroat.