The Senate has reintroduced a bipartisan bill, the “Workforce Mobility Act” (S. 2031), banning non-compete agreements in employment contracts.
ACEP supported the legislation originally, and is proudly backing the newly reintroduced bill because it will restore emergency physicians’ freedom to choose where and how they practice. It will protect clinical autonomy and ensure emergency physicians can keep delivering lifesaving care without unreasonable labor restrictions holding them back.
“As emergency physicians continue working to provide 24/7/365 access to lifesaving emergency care, our clinical autonomy is increasingly being eroded by coercive and exploitative non-compete clauses,” said ACEP President Alison Haddock, MD, FACEP. “By prohibiting these predatory clauses, the ‘Workforce Mobility Act’ empowers physicians to make the career decisions that work best for them. ACEP proudly supports this bipartisan legislation and we are deeply grateful to Senators Young and Murphy for their leadership on efforts to protect physician autonomy and promote career opportunities, rather than limiting them.”
At a time when EDs already face severe resource shortages, commitment to fair labor practices for physicians is more important than ever, and ACEP will continue fighting for this bill to become law.
