竞业禁止条款可以迫使工人接受较低的工资，因为他们通常无法与竞争对手谈判到更高的工资。

联邦贸易委员会今天宣布了一项新规定的提案，该规定可能会有效地废除非竞争条款。该委员会认为，禁止竞业禁止条款可能会导致美国人的工资总额增加3000亿美元。

联邦贸易委员会提议的规则将使雇主与雇员订立、试图订立或维持竞业禁止协议是非法的。同样，根据联邦贸易委员会的新闻稿，该规则可能会禁止雇主“在某些情况下向工人表示，工人受到竞业禁止”。

该规定将保护未来的独立承包商，以及有偿和无偿员工，同时迫使员工取消现行的竞业禁止协议。该委员会认为，这项规定可能适用于美国劳动力中的约3000万人。美国联邦贸易委员会目前正在就该提案征求公众意见。

美国联邦贸易委员会主席Lina M. Khan在一份新闻稿中说：“竞业禁止协议阻碍了工人自由换工作，剥夺了他们更高的工资和更好的工作条件，剥夺了企业需要建立和扩大的人才库。通过结束这种做法，联邦贸易委员会拟议的规则将促进更大的活力、创新和健康的竞争。”

政策规划办公室主任Elizabeth Wilkins表示，研究表明，竞业禁止限制了工人的流动性，压低了工人的工资，即使是那些不受竞业禁止或根据州法律无法执行的竞业禁止规定约束的工人也是如此。她补充说，“拟议的规则将确保雇主不能利用他们巨大的议价能力来限制工人的机会，扼杀竞争。”

竞业禁止条款用于防止员工在一个地理区域内或在员工离开公司后的一段时间内为竞争对手工作或创办竞争企业。美国联邦贸易委员会估计，五分之一的美国人，即3000万工人，受到竞业禁止条款的约束。欧盟委员会认为，这一限制降低了工资，因为工人被迫留在目前的岗位上，无法与竞争对手谈判更高的工资，同时阻碍了新企业的形成。

原文：

The Federal Trade Commission announced today a proposal for a new rule that could effectively kill noncompete clauses. The commission argues that banning noncompete clauses could result in a $300 billion total increase in American wages.

The FTC’s proposed rule would make it illegal for employers to enter into, attempt to enter into, or maintain a noncompete with an employee. Likewise, the rule could forbid employers to “represent to a worker, under certain circumstances, that the worker is subject to a noncompete,” per the FTC’s press release.

The rule would protect future independent contractors, and both paid and unpaid employees, while forcing employees to rescind current noncompetes. The commission believes the rule could apply to an estimated 30 million people in the American workforce. The FTC is now seeking public comment on the proposal.

“Noncompetes block workers from freely switching jobs, depriving them of higher wages and better working conditions, and depriving businesses of a talent pool that they need to build and expand,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan in a press release. “By ending this practice, the FTC’s proposed rule would promote greater dynamism, innovation, and healthy competition.”

Elizabeth Wilkins, the Director of the Office of Policy Planning says that research shows that noncompetes restrict workers’ mobility and suppress workers’ wages, even those not subject to noncompetes or noncompetes that are unenforceable under state law. She added, “the proposed rule would ensure that employers can’t exploit their outsized bargaining power to limit workers’ opportunities and stifle competition.”

Noncompete clauses are used to prevent workers from working for a competitor or starting a competing business either within a geographical area or for a certain period of time after the employee exits the company. The FTC estimates that 1 in 5 Americans, or 30 million workers, are bound by noncompete clauses. The commission argues that this restriction lowers wages, as workers are forced to remain at their current position and unable to negotiate a higher salary with a competitor, while preventing new businesses from forming.

本文由数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）翻译而成，作者：Kevin Hurler；翻译：数字化转型网宁檬树；翻译审核：数字化转型网默然。