March 01, 2018

Washington Post: Booker, Warren take aim at chains that use ‘non-poaching’ deals to keep workers stuck at one store

Say you work at a Jiffy Lube 30 miles from your house. You're happy enough there, but when you see an opening at another Jiffy Lube that's around the corner from where you live, you can't resist applying. You think you've got a decent chance; after all, you're already trained for the job. After you apply, however, you don't hear anything back.

It's possible you just weren't the candidate they wanted. But it's also possible that you were never even considered because your local Jiffy Lube was barred from hiring you, thanks to a “non-poaching” agreement it signed with the corporate headquarters. The non-poaching pacts vary, but generally they eliminate or limit franchise owners' ability to hire workers from other locations within the franchise.

...

Democratic Sens. Cory Booker (N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) on Thursday introduced legislation that would make these arrangements illegal, calling them an “anti-competitive” practice and giving workers the ability to sue and the right to claim damages.

Read the full article on the Washington Post website here.


By:  Jeff Stein
Source: Washington Post