FTC forms new antitrust task force

In his first public appearance at the end of February, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson announced the agency’s plan to address corporations violating antitrust and consumer protection laws, breaking with traditional Republican priorities at the organization.

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Here are four things to know about the FTC’s priorities moving forward:

1. According to a Feb. 26 news release from the FTC, Mr. Ferguson announced the formation of the Joint Labor Task Force, which will prioritize “rooting out and prosecuting deceptive, unfair and anticompetitive labor-market practices that harm American workers.”

2. The task force will create information-sharing protocols across the FTC’s bureaus and offices to create best practices for investigating unfair labor practices and promote research regarding these practices to inform the FTC and the public. 

3. The directive specifically targets no-poach, no-solicitation and no-hire agreements as well as noncompetes, wage-fixing agreements, deceptive job advertising that includes misleading earnings claims, deceptive business opportunities, misleading franchise offerings and collusion of unlawful coordination on DEI employment metrics. 

4. Mr. Ferguson also seeks to connect the FTC’s law enforcement efforts on behalf of workers to ensure that the FTC prioritizes labor issues moving forward.

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