A diverse group of stakeholders including economists, law professors, private and public practitioners, advocates, and policymakers convened to explore how anticompetitive forces are harming American labor markets and workers. Participants discussed opportunities for coordinated research, enforcement, and policymaking to enhance labor market competition and protect workers. Justice Catalyst served as a co-host and partner for the convening. The convening agenda can be found here.

Summary of ideas generated at convening: Download a copy of all the notes from the individual breakout sessions

We’re delighted to share “Ten Steps Toward a More Competitive Labor Market,” a written piece that came out of the conversations we at the convening on how to advance labor market competition.

Brief issue papers were solicited from experts and practitioners for convening attendees to read in advance to help orient the discussion. Some of the briefs are available below.

Overview

• Ioana Marinescu (University of Pennsylvania & The National Bureau of Economic Research), Fighting Monopsony, a Lack of Competition that Harms Workers

Concentration

• Einer Elhauge (Harvard Law School), New Evidence, Proofs, and Legal Theories on Horizontal Shareholding
• Heidi Shierholz & Josh Bivens (Economic Policy Institute), Fair Competition in Labor Markets Requires a Policy Maker’s Thumb on the Worker Side of the Scale
• Sandeep Vaheesan (Open Markets Institute), Antitrust Law: A Current Foe, but Potential Friend, of Workers

Non-Competes

• Lisa Madigan & Jane Flanagan (Office of the Attorney General, State of Illinois), Overuse of Non-Competition Agreements: Understanding How They are Used, Who They Harm, and What State Attorneys General Can Do to Protect the Public Interest
• Evan Starr (University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business), Are Noncompetes Holding Down Wages?

New Challenges

• Benjamin H. Harris (Kellogg School of Management & Results for America), Fostering More Competitive Labor Markets Through Transparent Wages
• David Seligman (Towards Justice), Having Their Cake and Eating It Too: Antitrust Laws and the Fissured Workplace

Below are copies of select presentation slides and additional resources from the convening.

• Ioana Marinescu (University of Pennsylvania & The National Bureau of Economic Research), Fighting Monopsony, a Lack of Competition that Harms Workers
• Einer Elhauge (Harvard Law School), New Evidence, Proofs, and Legal Theories on Horizontal Shareholding 
• Einer Elhauge (Harvard Law School), Why Upstream Monoposony Power Does Not Lower Downstream Prices [excerpts] [slides]