The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following.

U.S. agency considering rule reining in non-compete agreements for workers.  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), one of two agencies that enforce antitrust law, is considering a rule aimed at reining in corporations from pushing employees to sign non-compete agreements that prevent them from working for rival companies, officials said at a workshop on Thursday. The practice of requiring workers to sign an agreement barring them from quitting for a similar job elsewhere appears to have begun among white collar professions, like doctors and tech workers, and were aimed at protecting trade secrets and encouraging training of workers. They have since spread to low-wage jobs that require minimal training.

Democratic lawmaker presses antitrust enforcers on company ties, settlements.  The chair of the U.S. House of Representatives antitrust subcommittee pressed top regulators on Tuesday over merger decisions, including the Justice Department’s approval of T-Mobile US Inc.’s proposed purchase of Sprint Corp. Congressman David Cicilline raised antitrust questions as activists and Democratic presidential candidates are advocating for more aggressive enforcement of rules governing market concentration and corporate behavior. In questions posted on a House website, Cicilline asked Makan Delrahim, head of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, about text messages he had sent to Dish Network Corp. Chairman Charlie Ergen, who plans to buy assets that T-Mobile and Sprint would sell as part of an agreement to win federal approval for their deal.

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