Noncompete clauses likely violate federal labor law, NLRB's general counsel wrote Tuesday. Criticism from across the aisleWorker advocates have long maintained that noncompete clauses are an unjust infringement on liberty that reduces employees' earning potential. But noncompete clauses have also attracted critics on the right. The criticism from both sides of the political spectrum comes as noncompete clauses have expanded from high-salary workers in fields such as technology and finance to lower-wage professions, such as fast food. That proposed rule, which will be subject to a legal challenge if and when it is finalized, came after the White House encouraged the commission to tackle noncompete clauses, framing them as a barrier to healthy competition and wage growth.

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Persons: NLRB's, —, Joe Biden, Jennifer Abruzzo, Biden, Najah Farley, John Lettieri, Insider's Juliana Kaplan Organizations: Workers, Service, Companies, National Labor Relations Board, National Labor Relations Act, Worker, National Employment Law, American Enterprise Institute, Federal Trade Commission, House Locations: Abruzzo, California , Massachusetts, Illinois