According to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Attorney General Kwame Raoul has adopted a strong position in the dispute over noncompete agreements. Raoul joined a group of 18 attorneys general in submitting an amicus brief in support of the FTC’s (FTC) broad rule that seeks to outlaw these discriminatory employment contract clauses across the country.
The FTC’s final Noncompete Clause Rule, which was adopted in April 2024, prohibited businesses from using noncompete clauses in new employment contracts and declared most current ones unenforceable, potentially changing the labor market. According to the FTC, the goal is to free workers from contracts that limit their ability to advance in their careers and lower their pay, as well as to encourage a more creative economy by freeing people from the restrictions of their existing positions.”Noncompete agreements unjustly keep millions of workers from obtaining better-paying positions that would enable them to better support themselves and their families,” Attorney General Raoul underlined. Additionally, they keep employees from fleeing dangerous or unfriendly workplaces. Raoul’s support for workers’ rights and a competitive labor market is seen in this stance.
Business interest groups have challenged the FTC in court, despite the agency’s aims. Properties of the Villages Inc. v. FTC was one such lawsuit that resulted in a preliminary injunction in Florida, which effectively blocked the execution of the new regulation against the plaintiff firm. Raoul and his allies filed an amicus brief in support of the FTC’s appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which aims to overturn the injunction.
Raoul’s ongoing battle against dishonest employment practices aligns with this action. In the past, he was among a group of attorneys general who made progress by reaching a settlement with Valvoline to stop noncompete agreements for hourly workers. This came after a 2019 victory in which four fast-food chains were convinced to remove no-poach agreements that hindered employees’ ability to move between franchises. There is a clear trend with Raoul’s implementation of the Illinois Freedom to Work Act, which limits noncompete agreements for workers making $75,000 or less annually: The Attorney General takes the initiative to remove obstacles to labor market equity, empowerment, and mobility.
Working with attorneys general from states like California, New York, and Pennsylvania, Raoul’s cooperative approach is a part of a national conversation about the future of worker freedom, a topic that cuts across state boundaries and impacts millions of people. “I support the FTC’s efforts to remove these career obstacles for workers in Illinois and across the nation,” Raoul stated, expressing his support for a vision that upholds people’ economic self-determination.
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