Washington, D.C. — In response to the Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s recent win in its first criminal case against employers colluding to not hire each other’s workers, the American Economic Liberties Project released the following statement. 

“Today, the Antitrust Division struck a blow for justice,” said Katie Van Dyck, Senior Legal Counsel at the American Economic Liberties Project. “Staffing firm VDA had attempted to scam caregivers who help special needs kids, agreeing with another firm not to hire nurses staffed by their companies at school in Nevada. With this conviction, government enforcers have made it clear that illegally suppressing wages is a crime. The guilty plea will be entered without any plea agreement with the government and will be the first ever conviction under antitrust law for employer collusion in what is called a ‘no-poach’ agreement. It sets an important precedent, and sends a signal to all employers. Crime shouldn’t pay. And the Antitrust Division is making sure that it doesn’t.”

Learn more about Economic Liberties here.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.