History’s most pro-union president delivers 2 more big wins for workers
The Federal Trade Commission issued a new rule Tuesday imposing a nationwide ban on noncompete agreements that prevent employees from quitting their jobs and going to work for “competitor” companies. The rule doesn’t go into full effect for 120 days, but existing noncompetes are now unenforceable for most workers. Also on Tuesday, the Department of Labor issued a new rule requiring mandatory overtime pay for an estimated 4 million salaried workers. Employees earning under $58,700 a year will now collect overtime when they work more than 40 hours a week. Both rule changes illustrate how the Biden administration is constantly standing up for workers’ rights in ways that improve their ability to seek the best position and be fairly compensated for their labor. They also show why President Joe Biden is gathering support among unions while becoming the target of attack by business organizations. As CBS reports, FTC commissioners voted along party lines in passing the ban on noncompete agreements, with both Republican commissioners attempting to block the change. Almost immediately, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce declared that it would sue to block the implementation of the rule. The business advocacy group claims that losing noncompete agreements would "undermine American businesses' ability to remain competitive.” Noncompetes are an important tool to businesses, but only in the sense that they allow businesses to lock workers in without having to compete to secure their skills. Under a noncompete agreement, workers either stay trapped in a job or face having to abandon whole industries if they want to move. For many workers, that can make changing jobs next to impossible. These agreements allow companies to keep workers trapped with stagnant pay and meager benefits, so of course the Chamber of Commerce desperately wants to keep them. The change in overtime pay to salaried workers is also making some corporate organizations frown. As Reuters reports, the International Franchise Association complained that the rule would be costly to “entrepreneurs” struggling to deal with inflation. But forcing workers to provide free overtime should not be how any company gets healthy. Union members gather before Biden speaks at the NABTU legislative conference on April 24, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The upcoming election between Biden and Donald Trump isn’t just about preserving democracy—though it definitely is about preserving democracy. It also represents the clearest battle between labor and corporate interests in decades. That’s why worker organizations like the UAW are passionate about their support of Biden. On Wednesday, Biden lined up another big labor endorsement when North America’s Building Trades Union signed on. NABTU President Sean McGarvey praised Biden and issued a warning about his opponent. "[Trump’s] dark side is very, very dark and very, very dangerous for this country," McGarvey said. "We can't let our democracy that we've worked for and we've cherished just disintegrate with the wrong leader at the wrong time.” When it comes to the president, McGarvey declared that Biden is "the most pro-union ... pro-worker president that this country has ever seen.” Which is exactly why groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce see Biden as a threat. Campaign Action
JoriPress
The Federal Trade Commission issued a new rule Tuesday imposing a nationwide ban on noncompete agreements that prevent employees from quitting their jobs and going to work for “competitor” companies. The rule doesn’t go into full effect for 120 days, but existing noncompetes are now unenforceable for most workers.
Also on Tuesday, the Department of Labor issued a new rule requiring mandatory overtime pay for an estimated 4 million salaried workers. Employees earning under $58,700 a year will now collect overtime when they work more than 40 hours a week.
Both rule changes illustrate how the Biden administration is constantly standing up for workers’ rights in ways that improve their ability to seek the best position and be fairly compensated for their labor. They also show why President Joe Biden is gathering support among unions while becoming the target of attack by business organizations.
As CBS reports, FTC commissioners voted along party lines in passing the ban on noncompete agreements, with both Republican commissioners attempting to block the change. Almost immediately, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce declared that it would sue to block the implementation of the rule. The business advocacy group claims that losing noncompete agreements would "undermine American businesses' ability to remain competitive.”
Noncompetes are an important tool to businesses, but only in the sense that they allow businesses to lock workers in without having to compete to secure their skills. Under a noncompete agreement, workers either stay trapped in a job or face having to abandon whole industries if they want to move. For many workers, that can make changing jobs next to impossible.
These agreements allow companies to keep workers trapped with stagnant pay and meager benefits, so of course the Chamber of Commerce desperately wants to keep them.
The change in overtime pay to salaried workers is also making some corporate organizations frown. As Reuters reports, the International Franchise Association complained that the rule would be costly to “entrepreneurs” struggling to deal with inflation. But forcing workers to provide free overtime should not be how any company gets healthy.
The upcoming election between Biden and Donald Trump isn’t just about preserving democracy—though it definitely is about preserving democracy. It also represents the clearest battle between labor and corporate interests in decades. That’s why worker organizations like the UAW are passionate about their support of Biden.
On Wednesday, Biden lined up another big labor endorsement when North America’s Building Trades Union signed on. NABTU President Sean McGarvey praised Biden and issued a warning about his opponent.
"[Trump’s] dark side is very, very dark and very, very dangerous for this country," McGarvey said. "We can't let our democracy that we've worked for and we've cherished just disintegrate with the wrong leader at the wrong time.”
When it comes to the president, McGarvey declared that Biden is "the most pro-union ... pro-worker president that this country has ever seen.”
Which is exactly why groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce see Biden as a threat.
