For Immediate Release: March 2, 2023
Press Contact: [email protected]
Washington, D.C. — Today, Fight Corporate Monopolies kicked off the multi-state ‘Don’t Trap Workers’ campaign to expose efforts by Congressional Republicans to block a federal ban on noncompete clauses. These predatory contracts, which prevent nearly 1 in 5 workers from negotiating higher pay and changing jobs, have been shown to cost everyday Americans a staggering $300 billion dollars in earning potential every year.
Beginning this evening, the campaign will air a series of primetime TV ads on The Fox News Channel. The ads, which are set to debut during the network’s top rated show Tucker Carlson Tonight, will play in the congressional districts of all four Republican House Members leading the effort keep in place these predatory clauses: Jim Jordan (OH-04), Tom Massie (KY-04), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), and Darrell Issa (CA-48).
In addition to primetime TV ads, Fight Corporate Monopolies is turning up the heat on all four congressmen by deploying a fleet of mobile billboards to their home districts. The billboards, one of which is pictured below, call out the lawmakers for prioritizing the desires of wealthy political donors over the needs of working-class Americans.
On the heels of a fullthroated commitment by President Biden to end noncompete agreements at last month’s State of the Union Address, these GOP lawmakers sent a scathing letter to the Federal Trade Commission, the agency proposing the ban, promising to work tirelessly to thwart the biggest advancement in workers’ rights in a generation. The letter makes clear that Republicans in Congress will stand with corporate lobbyists and executives at the expense of their constituents and all of the nearly 30 million Americans currently trapped in unfair noncompete agreements.
"When right-wing corporate politicians want to keep working Americans from reaching their full potential, constituents deserve to know,” said Helen Brosnan, Executive Director of Fight Corporate Monopolies. “If Republicans want to be the party of lower wages, bad working conditions, and more hurdles to starting a business, let them have at it. Their opposition to a ban on noncompetes is shameful."
A comprehensive factsheet detailing the benefits of the FTC’s proposed noncompete ban can be found here on the agency’s official website. More information about the Fight Corporate Monopolies campaign can be found online at: www.donttrapworkers.com.
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Fight Corporate Monopolies is a registered 501(c)(4) nonprofit that is building a movement to address today’s crisis of concentrated economic power. We do not accept any funding from corporations. For more information on Fight Corporate Monopolies, visit fightcorporatemonopolies.org.