Non-Compete, No-Hire, and No-Poach Agreements

What is it?

Workers’ right to leave their jobs and to seek employment elsewhere is essential to worker dignity and bargaining power.  Employers frequently use illegal and unenforceable contracts to keep workers trapped in their jobs. These contracts sometimes prevent workers from seeking employment elsewhere (sometimes called ‘non-compete agreements’), sometimes make workers pay money to leave their jobs (sometimes called ‘liquidated damages provisions’), and sometimes involve employers agreeing with each other not to hire each others’ workers or to pay damages for doing so (sometimes called “no-hire agreements” or “no-poach agreements”). These arrangements can suppress pay and keep workers trapped in unsafe or abusive work environments.