FTC Bans Noncompetes, Provokes Merit Shop
The Federal Trade Commission has banned noncompete agreements for nearly the entire U.S. workforce—and groups like Associated Builders and Contractors aren’t happy about it.
The FTC framed the ban, which FTC commissioners approved by a 3–2 vote in April, as a boon for innovation and productivity. “Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas and rob the American economy of dynamism, including from the more than 8,500 new startups that would be created a year once noncompetes are banned,” FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said in a statement. “The FTC’s final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business or bring a new idea to market.”
That’s not how much of the business community sees it—including ABC, which in April 2023 joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 280 other organizations in submitting comments against the ban.
“The final rule to ban all noncompete agreements nationwide—except existing noncompetes for senior executives—is a radical departure from hundreds of years of legal precedent,” said ABC Vice President of Regulatory, Legal and State Affairs Ben Brubeck. “Ultimately, this vastly overbroad rule will invalidate millions of reasonable contracts—including construction project contracts—around the country that are beneficial for both businesses and employees.”
LEEDing Cities
With apologies to George Orwell—all cities are sustainable, but some cities are more sustainable than others. And 12 of them have been newly anointed as such by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Each year, USGBC’s LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program identifies a cohort of local municipalities to help “set goals, collect data and validate performance against sustainability and quality-of-life metrics using the LEED for Cities rating system, revolutionizing the way cities and communities are planned, developed and operated to improve their overall sustainability and quality of life,” according to a USGBC news release.
Recently USGBC announced its 2024 LEED for Cities Leadership Program cohort:
- Boca Raton, Fla.
- Carrollton, Texas
- Coral Springs, Fla.
- El Paso, Texas
- Gainesville, Fla.
- Gary, Ind.
- Jacksonville, Fla.
- La Crosse, Wis.
- New Orleans
- Overland Park, Kan.
- Philadelphia
- St. Petersburg, Fla.
Each city receives peer-to-peer networking opportunities, technical assistance and access to educational resources from USGBC.
