The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday approved a regulation that would ban noncompete agreements nationwide on the grounds that they unfairly limit workers' mobility and lead to lower pay. The FTC‚ which currently has a Democratic majority under President Joe Biden‚ voted 3-2 to approve the final noncompete rule. The agency first proposed the ban on noncompete agreements in January 2023‚ arguing they unfairly limit competition.  Noncompete agreements generally prohibit an...

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday banned employers from using noncompete contracts to prevent most workers from joining rival firms‚ achieving a policy goal that is popular with labor but faces an imminent court challenge from business groups. The measure‚ approved by the agency’s Democratic majority on a 3-to-2 vote‚ marks the first time in more than 50 years that FTC officials have issued a regulation to mandate an economywide change in how companies compete. The commission has...

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday banned employers from limiting their workers’ abilities to work for rivals‚ a sweeping change that the agency says could help raise wages and increase competition among businesses. The move bars contracts known as noncompetes‚ which prevent workers from leaving for a competitor for a certain amount of time‚ in most circumstances. The agency has said the proposal would raise wages by forcing companies to compete harder for talent. The proposal was...

In a historic first‚ the United States is set to sanction a unit of the Israel Defense Forces. According to three sources speaking with Axios‚ Secretary of State Antony Blinken will announce sanctions against the IDF’s 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion. Notably‚ the sanctions are not due to any actions during the war in Gaza‚ but rather human rights abuses committed in the West Bank before Oct. 7‚ 2023. The battalion is made up of ultra-Orthodox Jews with an emphasis on accommodating their...