Bolstered by recent actions by federal and state regulators, plaintiffs lawyers have filed a raft of class actions alleging agreements not to poach employees violate federal antitrust laws. Now, the U.S. Justice Department is weighing in on their cases.
Most of the lawsuits, filed within the past year, challenge so-called “no poach” agreements that companies have with their franchises over employees, particularly in the services and fast-food restaurant industries. They follow 2016 guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice and investigations of many of the same companies by nearly a dozen state attorneys general.
