New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has vetoed a bill days before Christmas that would have banned noncompete agreements, which restrict workers’ ability to leave their job for a role with a rival business.

New York’s governor vetoed a bill days before Christmas that would have banned noncompete agreements, which restrict workers’ ability to leave their job for a role with a rival business.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said she tried to work with the Legislature on a “reasonable compromise” this year, called the bill “a one-size-fits-all-approach” for New York companies legitimately trying to retain top talent.

“I continue to recognize the urgent need to restrict non-compete agreements for middle-class and low-wage workers, and am open to future legislation that achieves the right balance,” she wrote in a veto letter released Saturday.

The veto is a blow to labor groups, who have long argued that the agreements hurt workers and stifle economic growth. The Federal Trade Commission had also sent a letter to Hochul in November, urging her to sign the bill and saying that the agreements can harm innovation and prevent new businesses from forming in the state.

    • @RubberElectrons
      10•11 months ago

      There’s a lot of useless truism verbiage here. Luckily it appears I’m more flexible than you, and will in fact claim that I think Kathy Hochul is working with the enemy of the people, corporations.

      Prove it? Again, flexibility, allows me to draw conclusions based on previous actions. The facts are:

      • corporations don’t like competition.
      • Kathy likes playing both sides based on legislation that’s been seemingly good for the little guy, but generally seems to have a critical loophole, see the hobbled right to repair law for a perfect example.
      • Kathy has a budget to balance, and friends in many circles that are both left and right in these large corporations.

      It is emphatically not a difficult conclusion to draw that she’s working with corporations on some things which are decidedly bad for New York’s general populace, and greatly advantage corporations. I personally give zero fucks about your fear of claiming she’s doing stuff without proof, as there is largely an asymmetry of information between the public and the inner machinations of the political class. We must suppose based on missing information, and I cannot see any reason for keeping such an archaic idea as a noncompetitive agreement.

      Stop being naive, you’re embarrassing yourself in front of everyone. The only question at this point is whether you’re doing it on purpose or not.