Senator Sean Ryan Announces Growing Support For New York Noncompete Ban

BUFFALO – Today, December 4, 2023, New York State Senator Sean Ryan announced that more than 60 organizations have formally called on Governor Kathy Hochul to sign his legislation (S.3100A/A.1278B) to prohibit employers in New York from utilizing noncompete agreements. Governor Hochul must sign or veto the legislation by the end of this year. A list of organizations who have publicly announced their support can be found below.

Last week, the collection of organizations grew by 13 as the Economic Innovation Group (EIG) sent Governor Hochul a letter signed by a diverse coalition of employers, experts, and institutions calling for the governor to sign the bill into law. EIG is a bipartisan public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. dedicated to forging a more dynamic and inclusive American economy.

The bill has also received support from a number of labor unions, including the New York State AFL-CIO, Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) New York, Teamsters Local 804, the New York State Nurses Association, the Committee of Interns and Residents SEIU, the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, and AFSCME Local 206.

As the coalition has continued to grow, other notable experts have also weighed in on the bill. On Nov. 28, the Federal Trade Commission sent a letter to Governor Hochul outlining the pervasive harms of noncompete agreements. That same day, former United States Secretary of Labor Robert Reich took to social media to call on Governor Hochul to sign the bill, explaining that “30 million Americans are currently trapped in their jobs by noncompete clauses, which block them from seeking higher wages and better working conditions.”

Senator Sean Ryan said, “The coalition of organizations backing a noncompete ban in New York is large, diverse, and growing. This bill has the support of labor unions, small businesses, a wide array of economists, and organizations representing many industries. The experts have done the research, and they are weighing in: Noncompetes are bad for workers, bad for small business, and bad for the economy.”

List of Public Supporters of S.3100

A Better Balance

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

American Association of University Women - Rockland County

American College of Cardiology - New York Chapter

American Economic Liberties Project

Center for American Entrepreneurship

Citizen Action of New York

Committee of Interns and Residents SEIU

Democracy Policy Network

DRUM - Desis Rising Up & Moving

Economic Innovation Group

Economic Policy Institute

Economic Security Project/Action

Endangered Species Coalition

Engine

Fight Corporate Monopolies

Gender Equity in Hiring Project

Girls for Gender Equity

Zachary Graves, Executive Director, Foundation for American Innovation

Impact Fund

Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Justice for Migrant Women

League of Women Voters of St. Lawrence County

The Legal Aid Society

Legal Momentum, The Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund

Orly Lobel, Warren Distinguished Professor of Law and Director, Center for Employment & Labor Policy, University of San Diego

Main Street Alliance

Dr. Matt Marx, SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University

MomsRising

National Black Worker Center

National Employment Law Project

National Employment Lawyers Association

National Employment Lawyers Association NY

National Institute for Workers' Rights

National Partnership for Women & Families

National Skills Coalition

National Women's Law Center

New York State AFL-CIO

New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence

New York State Nurses Association

Niskanen Center

Open Markets Institute

People's Parity Project

PowHer New York

Public Citizen

Right to Start

ROC UNITED

ROC New York

R Street Institute

Sciencecorps

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) New York

Sexual Harassment Working Group

Steam Logistics

Teamsters Local 804

The Workers Circle

Towards Justice

Transport Workers Union of America

Union of American Physicians and Dentists, AFSCME Local 206

Veeva Systems

Workers Center of Central New York

Workplace Fairness

Young Invincibles

Zevin Asset Management