Senator Sean Ryan Announces Growing Support For New York Noncompete Ban
December 4, 2023
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