Non-compete ban backed by worker-rights template
The Federal Trade Commission received 2,318 nearly identical comments in 2023 supporting its proposal to ban most worker non-compete agreements. The campaign argued that non-competes trap low-wage workers in jobs and suppress wages across the labor market.
Campaign window
104 days · 2,318 comments detected
Shape of the campaign
Each red dot is one comment that matched the campaign's template text. Grey dots are unrelated submissions to the same docket. The clustering algorithm groups comments by semantic similarity, not by exact string match, so light wording changes don't hide the pattern.
How this stacks against other campaigns in tech regulation
- Non-compete ban backed by worker-rights template2,318
- Open internet revival pulled coordinated supporters1,212
- FCC repeal of net neutrality drew form-letter floods484
Scale
The template
“I strongly support the FTC's proposed rule to ban non-compete clauses. Non-competes are not just used to protect trade secrets — they are routinely imposed on hourly workers, fast-food employees, and other low-wage workers who have no access to confidential information. These clauses suppress wages, limit job mobility, and hurt small businesses that cannot hire qualified workers. The FTC should ban non-competes for all workers.”
Attribution
Who organized this?
The Economic Policy Institute and affiliated worker advocacy organizations circulated template comments through email campaigns and social media, citing their own research estimating that non-competes suppress wages by $296 billion annually.
Attribution is based on publicly available evidence. It does not imply wrongdoing.
Migration analysis
Did the campaign's language make it into the final rule?
The FTC's April 2024 final rule mirrored the campaign's framing that non-competes suppress wages and trap workers. The rule was later vacated nationwide before its effective date, so the language never took operative effect.
Phrase overlap
Campaign template
“Non-competes are routinely imposed on hourly workers... These clauses suppress wages, limit job mobility, and hurt small businesses”
Final rule text
Non-compete clauses tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in labor markets... by inhibiting efficient matching between workers and employers
16 CFR § 910 (final rule, vacated)
Phrase overlap is correlation, not causation. Many advocates and agency staff use the same vocabulary; matching language is not evidence the campaign drafted the rule.
Rule outcome
Did it influence the final rule?
The FTC finalized the non-compete ban in April 2024, but a federal judge in Texas blocked the rule nationwide in August 2024, finding the FTC lacked statutory authority to issue the ban. The rule never took effect.
Rule outcomes are matters of public record. Astroturf does not claim the campaign caused or prevented the outcome.
> Technical details
curated-ftc-2023-0007-51e40796260bc030Docket IDFTC-2023-0007Finding slugnon-compete-ban-backed-by-worker-rights-template-f93cd7GeneratedManual (edited)