点击上方蓝字关注我们

今天，美国联邦贸易委员会（Federal Trade Commission，简称FTC）发布了一项最终的规则（FTC去年发布了这个规则的草案，所以现在的是最终版本——译者注），通过在全国范围内禁止竞业限制协议、保障工人更换工作的基本自由、增加创新和培育新企业来促进竞争。

FTC主席Lina M. Khan表示：“竞业限制条款使工资保持在较低水平，抑制新的创意，并剥夺美国经济的活力，包括禁止竞业限制后每年将创办8,500多家初创企业的活力。”“联邦贸易委员会禁止竞业限制的最终规则将确保美国人有追求新工作、开办新企业或将新想法推向市场的自由。”...

根据联邦贸易委员会的新规则，在规则生效后，现有的针对绝大多数工人的竞业限制协议将不再有效。根据联邦贸易委员会的最终规则，现有的高级管理人员（占员工比例不到0.75%）的竞业限制规定仍然有效。但是，即使涉及高级管理人员，雇主也不得参与或试图执行任何新的竞业限制规定。雇主将被要求向受现有竞业限制协议约束的高级管理人员以外的工人发出通知，表明雇主不会对他们强制执行任何竞业限制协议。

2023年1月，FTC发布了一项拟议规则，该规则有90天的公众评议期。FTC 收到了超过26,000条关于拟议规则的评论，其中超过25,000条评论支持 FTC拟议的竞业限制禁令。这些评论为联邦贸易委员会的最终规则制定流程提供了信息，联邦贸易委员会仔细审查每一条评论，并根据公众的反馈对拟议规则进行修改。

在最终规则中，委员会认定雇主与工人签订竞业限制协议并强制执行是一种不公平的竞争方式，因此违反了《联邦贸易委员会法》第 5 条的规定。

委员会发现，竞业限制往往会抑制工人和雇主之间的有效匹配，从而对劳动力市场的竞争条件产生负面影响。委员会还发现，竞业限制往往会对产品和服务市场的竞争条件产生负面影响，抑制新业务的形成和创新。还有证据表明，对消费者来说，竞业限制会导致市场集中度增加和价格上涨。

竞业限制协议的替代方案

委员会发现，除了竞业限制协议之外，雇主还有多种选择，这些选择仍然可以使公司能够保护其投资，而无需执行竞业限制。

商业秘密法和保密协议 (non-disclosure agreements，简称NDA) 都为雇主提供了保护专有信息和其他敏感信息的完善手段。研究人员估计，超过 95%的竞业限制员工已经签署了NDA。

委员会还发现，希望留住雇员的雇主可以通过提高工资和工作条件，利用这一优势去争取劳动者的劳动服务，而不是利用竞业限制协议来锁定工人。

对草案的变更

根据最终规则，现有的高级管理人员的竞业限制协议仍然有效，但是雇主不得与高级管理人员签订或执行新的竞业限制协议。最终规则将高级管理人员定义为年收入超过 151,164 美元且担任决策职务的员工。

此外，委员会还取消了拟议规则中的一项条款，该条款要求雇主通过正式废除现有的竞业限制协议来合法修改他们。这一变化将有助于简化合规。

作为替代，根据最终规则，雇主只需向受现有竞业限制协议约束的工人发出通知，表明未来不会对他们执行竞业限制协议。为了帮助雇主遵守这一要求，委员会在最终规则中纳入了雇主可以用来与工人沟通的示范语言。

委员会以3比2的投票结果批准发布最终规则，委员Melissa Holyoak和 Andrew N. Ferguson投了反对票。委员们的书面声明将在晚些时候发布。

最终规则将于《联邦公报》公布后120天生效。

来源：美国劳动法观察（节译自FTC官网）

FTC Announces Rule Banning Noncompetes

FTC’s final rule will generate over 8,500 new businesses each year, raise worker wages, lower health care costs, and boost innovation

Today, the Federal Trade Commission issued a final rule to promote competition by banning noncompetes nationwide, protecting the fundamental freedom of workers to change jobs, increasing innovation, and fostering new business formation.

“Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism, including from the more than 8,500 new startups that would be created a year once noncompetes are banned,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The FTC’s final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market.”

The FTC estimates that the final rule banning noncompetes will lead to new business formation growing by 2.7% per year, resulting in more than 8,500 additional new businesses created each year. The final rule is expected to result in higher earnings for workers, with estimated earnings increasing for the average worker by an additional $524 per year, and it is expected to lower health care costs by up to $194 billion over the next decade. In addition, the final rule is expected to help drive innovation, leading to an estimated average increase of 17,000 to 29,000 more patents each year for the next 10 years under the final rule.

Under the FTC’s new rule, existing noncompetes for the vast majority of workers will no longer be enforceable after the rule’s effective date. Existing noncompetes for senior executives - who represent less than 0.75% of workers - can remain in force under the FTC’s final rule, but employers are banned from entering into or attempting to enforce any new noncompetes, even if they involve senior executives. Employers will be required to provide notice to workers other than senior executives who are bound by an existing noncompete that they will not be enforcing any noncompetes against them.

In January 2023, the FTC issued a proposed rule which was subject to a 90-day public comment period. The FTC received more than 26,000 comments on the proposed rule, with over 25,000 comments in support of the FTC’s proposed ban on noncompetes. The comments informed the FTC’s final rulemaking process, with the FTC carefully reviewing each comment and making changes to the proposed rule in response to the public’s feedback.

In the final rule, the Commission has determined that it is an unfair method of competition, and therefore a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act, for employers to enter into noncompetes with workers and to enforce certain noncompetes.

The Commission found that noncompetes tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in labor markets by inhibiting efficient matching between workers and employers. The Commission also found that noncompetes tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in product and service markets, inhibiting new business formation and innovation. There is also evidence that noncompetes lead to increased market concentration and higher prices for consumers.

Alternatives to Noncompetes

The Commission found that employers have several alternatives to noncompetes that still enable firms to protect their investments without having to enforce a noncompete.

Trade secret laws and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) both provide employers with well-established means to protect proprietary and other sensitive information. Researchers estimate that over 95% of workers with a noncompete already have an NDA.

The Commission also finds that instead of using noncompetes to lock in workers, employers that wish to retain employees can compete on the merits for the worker’s labor services by improving wages and working conditions.

Changes from the NPRM

Under the final rule, existing noncompetes for senior executives can remain in force. Employers, however, are prohibited from entering into or enforcing new noncompetes with senior executives. The final rule defines senior executives as workers earning more than $151,164 annually and who are in policy-making positions.

Additionally, the Commission has eliminated a provision in the proposed rule that would have required employers to legally modify existing noncompetes by formally rescinding them. That change will help to streamline compliance.

Instead, under the final rule, employers will simply have to provide notice to workers bound to an existing noncompete that the noncompete agreement will not be enforced against them in the future. To aid employers’ compliance with this requirement, the Commission has included model language in the final rule that employers can use to communicate to workers. 

The Commission vote to approve the issuance of the final rule was 3-2 with Commissioners Melissa Holyoak and Andrew N. Ferguson voting no. Commissioners’ written statements will follow at a later date. 

The final rule will become effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Once the rule is effective, market participants can report information about a suspected violation of the rule to the Bureau of Competition by emailing noncompete@ftc.gov

来源：FTC官网

声明：本公众号内容不构成法律建议、意见，也不属于广告

点个在看你最好看