<story><title>Massachusetts Governor Announces Plan to Abolish Noncompetes</title><url>http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/04/10/patrick-announces-plan-to-abolish-noncompetes-launch-a-global-eir-program-aimed-at-h1-b-visa-program/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>GFK_of_xmaspast</author><text>Non-competes are very much pro-business, in that they weaken the power of labor.</text></item><item><author>drawkbox</author><text>Non-competes are anti-business, anti-innovation and feudal.  I have never signed one.&lt;p&gt;I can&amp;#x27;t tell you how many times I have been asked to sign one that locks up your skills, which you are bringing to the company that they might not have yet, solely for them for years even though the project might only be 3-6 months.&lt;p&gt;I applaud this effort immensely in MA, there is no place for non-competes in the US. It is entirely anti-business, funny that fighting against this anti-business and anti-small business process comes from the liberal NE.&lt;p&gt;The game industry also has a big problem with this, you can&amp;#x27;t even work on games outside of work while at a major studio (why almost every game developer has to break out on their own rather than stay at a company -- game devs in MA will cheer this).  Treating skilled workers badly and shutting them down the moment they aren&amp;#x27;t working for you. How is that not feudal in nature?&lt;p&gt;NDAs&amp;#x2F;confidentiality, contracts while being paid for work, that is understandable, non-competes should never be signed unless you are paid during that tenure at a premium, opportunity cost is huge. MA legislation is actually doing some good work for the individuals, smalls and mids here, the engine of America.&lt;p&gt;Next up, remove taxes for small companies until they reach a certain revenue threshold.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>rz2k</author><text>And, if understood in that way, it is an instance where the term &amp;quot;pro-business&amp;quot; is a political ideology rather than an economic perspective.&lt;p&gt;Historically the rationale for pro-business policies is that greater production creates more wealth for everyone in a society. As a result it could be argued that a labor union might hurt an economy if less output comes from the same input, while those labor unions&amp;#x27; arguments would be that they disagree about how different working conditions maximize the society&amp;#x27;s actual utility.&lt;p&gt;A non-compete on the other hand is a contract to &lt;i&gt;decrease&lt;/i&gt; worker productivity. It is the opposite of union agreements that forced companies to employ people whose work is no longer needed, it is an agreement not to work. Furthermore, it isn&amp;#x27;t even entirely about benefiting business owners over their employees, but about benefiting established companies for their past success rather than whether or not they can compete in the current business environment.</text></comment>
<story><title>Massachusetts Governor Announces Plan to Abolish Noncompetes</title><url>http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/04/10/patrick-announces-plan-to-abolish-noncompetes-launch-a-global-eir-program-aimed-at-h1-b-visa-program/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>GFK_of_xmaspast</author><text>Non-competes are very much pro-business, in that they weaken the power of labor.</text></item><item><author>drawkbox</author><text>Non-competes are anti-business, anti-innovation and feudal.  I have never signed one.&lt;p&gt;I can&amp;#x27;t tell you how many times I have been asked to sign one that locks up your skills, which you are bringing to the company that they might not have yet, solely for them for years even though the project might only be 3-6 months.&lt;p&gt;I applaud this effort immensely in MA, there is no place for non-competes in the US. It is entirely anti-business, funny that fighting against this anti-business and anti-small business process comes from the liberal NE.&lt;p&gt;The game industry also has a big problem with this, you can&amp;#x27;t even work on games outside of work while at a major studio (why almost every game developer has to break out on their own rather than stay at a company -- game devs in MA will cheer this).  Treating skilled workers badly and shutting them down the moment they aren&amp;#x27;t working for you. How is that not feudal in nature?&lt;p&gt;NDAs&amp;#x2F;confidentiality, contracts while being paid for work, that is understandable, non-competes should never be signed unless you are paid during that tenure at a premium, opportunity cost is huge. MA legislation is actually doing some good work for the individuals, smalls and mids here, the engine of America.&lt;p&gt;Next up, remove taxes for small companies until they reach a certain revenue threshold.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>drawkbox</author><text>Small businesses, contractors, freelancers, and more who are asked to sign these are very much businesses and it is very anti-business to them.&lt;p&gt;It is relative, if you are big and established they are good, if you are small&amp;#x2F;medium (where most innovation and eventual businesses comes from) then they are bad.&lt;p&gt;It is anti fair business, but in a monopolistic&amp;#x2F;feudal&amp;#x2F;plutocratic type system it might be pro-business to own skilled people (anti-poaching agreements are also pro-business in that view). In a libertarian and free market sense it is anti-business when viewed from the aspect of an individual&amp;#x2F;small&amp;#x2F;mid company.&lt;p&gt;I guess its safer to say non-competes are pro big business and anti small business &amp;#x2F; anti innovation at least.</text></comment>