美国将废除竞业条款

五分之一的美国工作者在劳动合同中有一条竞业条款，禁止他们辞职后加入竞争对手的公司。

双语精读

Hop to it : Don't like your job? Quit for a rival firm.

赶快跳槽：不喜欢你的工作？辞了去对家公司吧。

A fifth of American workers have a non-compete clause in their contract, barring them from leaving to join a rival.

五分之一的美国工作者在劳动合同中有一条竞业条款，禁止他们辞职后加入竞争对手的公司。

Owing to a new rule issued by the Federal Trade Commission on April 23rd, these clauses may soon be voided.

因为联邦贸易委员会4月23日发布的一项新规定，这些条款可能很快就会被废除。

Advocates hope this will inject dynamism into the American economy and lead to stronger wages; critics warn it will stifle investment.

倡导者希望废除竞业条款可以为美国经济注入活力，并让工资更高；批评人士警告称，这样做将扼杀投资。

The debate about non-compete clauses is an old one, dating back to Europe in the 1400s.

关于竞业条款的争论由来已久，可以追溯到14世纪的欧洲。

Courts generally came down on the side of apprentices trying to escape the clutches of their mentors. In the Industrial Revolution, though, views shifted.

法庭通常会支持试图摆脱师傅控制的学徒。然而，在工业革命期间，人们的观点发生了转变。

The main argument in support of non-compete clauses-then and now-is that they protect firms with an understandable interest in defending trade secrets.

无论是过去还是现在，支持竞业条款的主要论点是，这种条款保护了公司在捍卫商业机密方面可以理解的利益。

With them in place, companies become more willing to make hefty investments and train up workers, confident that they will reap the benefits from both.

有了它们，公司就更愿意进行巨额投资和培训工作者，并相信能从这两方面获得好处。

A recently published study by Jessica Jeffers of HEC Paris found that when American states make non-competes easier to enforce, firms increase their physical investments by as much as 39%.

巴黎高等商学院的杰西卡·杰弗斯最近发表的一项研究发现，当美国各州使竞业条款更容易执行时，公司的实体投资增加了39%。

Unfortunately, many bosses abuse the power that such control gives them.

不幸的是，许多老板滥用了这种限制所赋予他们的权力。

In one risible example from 2014 a worker at Jimmy John's, a sandwich chain, shared a copy of the company's contract terms, which barred staffers from jumping to any competitor within two years of leaving.

在2014年的一个可笑的例子中，三明治连锁店Jimmy John's的一名员工分享了该公司的合同条款，其中禁止员工在离职后两年内跳槽到任何竞争对手的公司。

Sandwich artists are not the only Americans doing basic jobs who are so constrained.

做着初级工作却还受到限制的美国人不是只有三明治店员。

Studies have found that about 10% of those on minimum wages, from barbers to waiters, face similar restrictions.

研究发现，从理发师到服务员，领取最低工资的群体中约有10%的人面临类似的限制。

Even for highly skilled employees, the merits of these limitations are questionable.

即使对于高技能员工来说，这些限制的好处也是值得怀疑的。

California, home to many of the world's most disruptive tech firms, has long prohibited companies from stopping employees who wish to join rivals.

加利福尼亚州有许多世界上最具颠覆性的科技公司，该州长期以来一直不允许公司阻止员工加入竞争对手。

Ms. Jeffers's research points to a trade-off: although existing firms benefited from job-hopping restrictions, she found such rules led to a 7% fall in new companies entering knowledge-intensive sectors.

杰弗斯的研究指出了一种利弊权衡：尽管现有公司受益于跳槽限制，但她发现这些规定导致进入知识密集型行业的新公司减少了7%。

They thus represent an impediment to innovation.

因此，这表明竞业条款阻碍了创新。

The tide has been turning against non-competes in America. At least ten states have blocked their use for low-wage workers.

在美国，意见趋势已经变成反对竞业条款。至少有十个州已经禁止对低薪工作者使用竞业条款。

On April 23rd the FTC upped the ante, voting for a sweeping ban.

4月23日，联邦贸易委员会加大了力度，投票支持全面禁止竞业条款。

Under the rules, existing non-competes for executives making over $151,164 a year can be maintained, but all other non-competes will no longer be enforced, and employers will be barred from creating any new ones, including for executives.

根据规定，对年收入超过15 1164美元的高管的现有竞业条款可以保留，但所有其他竞业条款将不再执行，而且雇主将被禁止设立任何新的竞业条款，包括对高管。

The FTC anticipates that the ban will lift the rate of business creation by 3% and increase earnings for the average worker by about $500 per year.

联邦贸易委员会预计，这项禁令将使企业创办率提高3%，并使普通工作者的平均年收入增加约500美元。

词汇预习

• economy [高考]

  美[ɪˈkɑːnəmi] | 英[ɪˈkɒnəmi]

  n. 经济；节约 adj. 经济的；廉价的

• creation [高考]

  美[kriˈeɪʃn] | 英[kriˈeɪʃn]

  n. 创造；创作

• investment [高考]

  美[ɪnˈvestmənt] | 英[ɪnˈvestmənt]

  n. 投资；投资额；投入

• competitor [高考]

  美[kəmˈpetɪtər] | 英[kəmˈpetɪtə(r)]

  n. 竞争者；对手

• innovation [高考]

  美[ˌɪnəˈveɪʃn] | 英[ˌɪnəˈveɪʃn]

  n. 创新；革新

• skilled [高考]

  美[skɪld] | 英[skɪld]

  adj. 有技能的；熟练的

• understandable [高考]

  美[ˌʌndərˈstændəbl] | 英[ˌʌndəˈstændəbl]

  adj. 可理解的；能够懂的

• intensive [高考]

  美[ɪnˈtensɪv] | 英[ɪnˈtensɪv]

  adj. 密集的；彻底的；精细的；强调的；加强的，集中的 n. 加强器；加强剂；【语】强义词[词首]

• tide [高考]

  美[taɪd] | 英[taɪd]

  n. 趋势；潮流；潮汐；潮水 v. 渡过；（使）随潮漂流

• inject [高考]

  美[ɪnˈdʒekt] | 英[ɪnˈdʒekt]

  v. 注射；注入；引入；插入

• within [高考]

  美[wɪˈðɪn] | 英[wɪˈðɪn]

  prep. 在(某段时间、距离或范围)内；在…里面 adv. 在…里面 n. 内部

• per [高考]

  美[pər] | 英[pə(r)]

  prep. 每；每一；经过；按照

• rate [高考]

  美[reɪt] | 英[reɪt]

  n. 比率；速度；价格；费用；等级 v. 认为；估价；定等级；值得；怒斥；责骂

• thus [高考]

  美[ðʌs] | 英[ðʌs]

  adv. 这样；如此；因此；从而

• debate [高考]

  美[dɪˈbeɪt] | 英[dɪˈbeɪt]

  n. 辩论；讨论 vt. 争论；思考 vi. 辩论

• Ms. [高考]

  美[mɪz] | 英[mɪz]

  n. 女士，小姐

• ban [高考]

  美[bæn] | 英[bæn]

  v. 禁止；剥夺权利 n. 禁令；禁止

• minimum [高考]

  美[ˈmɪnɪməm] | 英[ˈmɪnɪməm]

  adj. 最少的；最低程度的 n. 最低限度；最小量

• wage [高考]

  美[weɪdʒ] | 英[weɪdʒ]

  n. 工资；报酬 v. 开展；从事；进行(战争、运动)

• debate about [高考]

  美 | 英

  就……辩论

• on the side [高考]

  美[ɑn ði saɪd] | 英[ɔn ðə said]

  作为兼职； 作为副业； 私下

• clause [高考]

  美[klɔːz] | 英[klɔːz]

  n. 条款；[语]从句

• enforce [高考]

  美[ɪnˈfɔːrs] | 英[ɪnˈfɔːs]

  vt. 强迫；强制；实施；执行；加强

• rival [高考]

  美[ˈraɪvl] | 英[ˈraɪvl]

  n. 竞争者；对手；同伴 adj. 竞争的 v. 竞争；与 ... 相匹敌

• turning [高考]

  美[ˈtɜːrnɪŋ] | 英[ˈtɜːnɪŋ]

  n. 旋转；回转；转向

• reap [四级]

  美[riːp] | 英[riːp]

  v. 取得（成果）；收获；收割（庄稼）

• tech [四级]

  美[tek] | 英[tek]

  n. 技术学校；技术；技术人员

• disruptive [四级]

  美[dɪsˈrʌptɪv] | 英[dɪsˈrʌptɪv]

  adj. 分裂的；破坏性的；制造混乱的

• questionable [四级]

  美[ˈkwɛstʃənəbəl] | 英[ˈkwestʃənəbl]

  adj. 可疑的；可置疑的

• earnings [四级]

  美[ˈɜːrnɪŋz] | 英[ˈɜːnɪŋz]

  n. 收入；利润

• fall in [四级]

  美[fɔl ɪn] | 英[fɔ:l ɪn]

  塌陷； 同意； 集合； 排队； 掉入； 跌入

• in place [四级]

  美[ɪn pleɪs] | 英[ɪn pleɪs]

  在适当的位置

• in support of [四级]

  美[ɪn sə'pɔːrt əv] | 英[ɪn sə'pɔːt əv]

  维护； 支持； 拥护

• existing [四级]

  美[ɪɡˈzɪstɪŋ] | 英[ɪɡˈzɪstɪŋ]

  adj. 现存的；现有的

• stifle [专四]

  美[ˈstaɪfl] | 英[ˈstaɪfl]

  vt. 使窒息；扼杀；扑灭；抑制 vi. 窒息 n. (马的)后膝关节

• impediment [专八]

  美[ɪmˈpedɪmənt] | 英[ɪmˈpedɪmənt]

  n. 障碍；阻碍；口吃

• sweeping [专八]

  美[ˈswipɪŋ] | 英[ˈswi:pɪŋ]

  n. 扫除 adj. 一扫而去的；凶猛的；广泛的

• hefty [专八]

  美[ˈhɛfti] | 英[ˈhefti]

  adj. 重的；肌肉发达的；异常大的；相当多的

• trying [专八]

  美[ˈtraɪɪŋ] | 英[ˈtraɪɪŋ]

  adj. 难受的；令人厌烦的

• non [考研]

  美[nɒn] | 英[nɒn]

  adv. [拉]非；不是

• Federal [考研]

  美[ˈfedərəl] | 英[ˈfedərəl]

  adj. 联邦制的；联邦政府的；同盟的 n. 联邦主义者；同盟盟友

• terms [雅思]

  美[tɜːrmz] | 英[tɜːmz]

  n. 条件；条款；关系；措辞

重点讲解

Hop to it : Don't like your job? Quit for a rival firm.

赶快跳槽：不喜欢你的工作？辞了去对家公司吧。

hop/jump to it 赶快，快点

【英文释义】used to tell sb to hurry and do something quickly

【例】We better hop to it .

我们最好快一点。

rivalv. & n. & a.

1. 作动词：与…相匹敌；比得上

【例】The college’s facilities rival those of Harvard and Yale.

这所学院的设施比得上哈佛和耶鲁。

2. 作名词：竞争对手

【例】This gives the company a competitive advantage over its rivals.

这使该公司与其对手相比具有一项竞争优势。

3. 作形容词：相互竞争的；对抗的

【例】fighting between rival groups对立团体间的争斗

contractn. & v. 

1. 作名词：合同；协议

【例】a contract of employment雇佣合同

2. 作动词

（1）收缩，缩小

【例】Glass contracts as it cools.

玻璃遇冷收缩。

（2）签合同

【例】She has contracted to work 20 hours a week.

她已签订每周工作 20 小时的合同。

A fifth of American workers have a non-compete clause in their contract, barring them from leaving to join a rival.

五分之一的美国工作者在劳动合同中有一条竞业条款，禁止他们辞职后加入竞争对手的公司。

hop/jump to it 赶快，快点

【英文释义】used to tell sb to hurry and do something quickly

【例】We better hop to it .

我们最好快一点。

rivalv. & n. & a.

1. 作动词：与…相匹敌；比得上

【例】The college’s facilities rival those of Harvard and Yale.

这所学院的设施比得上哈佛和耶鲁。

2. 作名词：竞争对手

【例】This gives the company a competitive advantage over its rivals.

这使该公司与其对手相比具有一项竞争优势。

3. 作形容词：相互竞争的；对抗的

【例】fighting between rival groups对立团体间的争斗

contractn. & v. 

1. 作名词：合同；协议

【例】a contract of employment雇佣合同

2. 作动词

（1）收缩，缩小

【例】Glass contracts as it cools.

玻璃遇冷收缩。

（2）签合同

【例】She has contracted to work 20 hours a week.

她已签订每周工作 20 小时的合同。

Owing to a new rule issued by the Federal Trade Commission on April 23rd, these clauses may soon be voided.

因为联邦贸易委员会4月23日发布的一项新规定，这些条款可能很快就会被废除。

void n. & a. & v.

1. 作名词：空白；空虚

【例】Running the business helped to fill the void after his wife died.

做生意填补了他自妻子死后产生的孤寂感。

2. 作形容词

（1）缺乏；没有

【例】The sky was void of stars.

天空没有一颗星星。

（2）无效的；空的

【例】The agreement was declared void.

该协议已宣布无效。

3. 作动词：宣布…作废；使无效

【例】It could be voided if its existence became public.

如果被公开的话，它可能会被作废。

stifle v. 

1. 阻止；抑制

【例】They hope the new rules will not stifle creativity.

他们希望新规则不会压制创新。

2. （使）窒息，（使）透不过气来

【例】He was almost stifled by the fumes.

他差点被烟熏得窒息了。

Advocates hope this will inject dynamism into the American economy and lead to stronger wages; critics warn it will stifle investment.

倡导者希望废除竞业条款可以为美国经济注入活力，并让工资更高；批评人士警告称，这样做将扼杀投资。

void n. & a. & v.

1. 作名词：空白；空虚

【例】Running the business helped to fill the void after his wife died.

做生意填补了他自妻子死后产生的孤寂感。

2. 作形容词

（1）缺乏；没有

【例】The sky was void of stars.

天空没有一颗星星。

（2）无效的；空的

【例】The agreement was declared void.

该协议已宣布无效。

3. 作动词：宣布…作废；使无效

【例】It could be voided if its existence became public.

如果被公开的话，它可能会被作废。

stifle v. 

1. 阻止；抑制

【例】They hope the new rules will not stifle creativity.

他们希望新规则不会压制创新。

2. （使）窒息，（使）透不过气来

【例】He was almost stifled by the fumes.

他差点被烟熏得窒息了。

The debate about non-compete clauses is an old one, dating back to Europe in the 1400s.

关于竞业条款的争论由来已久，可以追溯到14世纪的欧洲。

date back to/ date from 追溯到；自…至今

【例】The custom dates back hundreds of years.

这一习俗可以追溯到几百年前。

come down

1. 落下；降落

【例】The rain came down in torrents.

大雨滂沱。

2. （价格、温度等）下降，降低

【例】The price of gas is coming down.

煤气价格在下跌。

3. 决定并宣布

【例】The committee came down in support of his application.

委员会决定并宣布支持他的申请。

Courts generally came down on the side of apprentices trying to escape the clutches of their mentors. In the Industrial Revolution, though, views shifted.

法庭通常会支持试图摆脱师傅控制的学徒。然而，在工业革命期间，人们的观点发生了转变。

date back to/ date from 追溯到；自…至今

【例】The custom dates back hundreds of years.

这一习俗可以追溯到几百年前。

come down

1. 落下；降落

【例】The rain came down in torrents.

大雨滂沱。

2. （价格、温度等）下降，降低

【例】The price of gas is coming down.

煤气价格在下跌。

3. 决定并宣布

【例】The committee came down in support of his application.

委员会决定并宣布支持他的申请。

The main argument in support of non-compete clauses-then and now-is that they protect firms with an understandable interest in defending trade secrets.

无论是过去还是现在，支持竞业条款的主要论点是，这种条款保护了公司在捍卫商业机密方面可以理解的利益。

reap v.

1. 取得（成果）；收获

【例】They are now reaping the rewards of all their hard work.

现在，他们的全部辛劳都得到了回报。

2. 收割（庄稼）

【例】You reap what you sow.

种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。/自食其果。

With them in place, companies become more willing to make hefty investments and train up workers, confident that they will reap the benefits from both.

有了它们，公司就更愿意进行巨额投资和培训工作者，并相信能从这两方面获得好处。

reap v.

1. 取得（成果）；收获

【例】They are now reaping the rewards of all their hard work.

现在，他们的全部辛劳都得到了回报。

2. 收割（庄稼）

【例】You reap what you sow.

种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。/自食其果。

A recently published study by Jessica Jeffers of HEC Paris found that when American states make non-competes easier to enforce, firms increase their physical investments by as much as 39%.

巴黎高等商学院的杰西卡·杰弗斯最近发表的一项研究发现，当美国各州使竞业条款更容易执行时，公司的实体投资增加了39%。

reap v.

1. 取得（成果）；收获

【例】They are now reaping the rewards of all their hard work.

现在，他们的全部辛劳都得到了回报。

2. 收割（庄稼）

【例】You reap what you sow.

种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。/自食其果。

Unfortunately, many bosses abuse the power that such control gives them.

不幸的是，许多老板滥用了这种限制所赋予他们的权力。

abuse v. & n.

1. 作动词

（1）滥用

【例】to abuse alcohol 酗酒

【例】She abused her position as principal by giving jobs to her friends.

她滥用自己作为校长的职权，把工作安排给朋友们。

（2）虐待；伤害

【例】The boy had been sexually abused.

这个男孩曾遭受过性虐待。

（3）辱骂；诋毁

【例】The referee had been threatened and abused.

裁判遭到了恐吓和谩骂。

2. 作名词

（1）滥用；妄用

【例】government officials’ abuse of power 政府官员的滥用职权

（2）虐待

【例】several cases of child abuse 数宗虐待儿童案

（3）辱骂，谩骂

【例】to scream/shout abuse 高声谩骂；大声辱骂

In**** one risible example from**** 2014**** a worker**** at**** Jimmy John****'s,**** a sandwich**** chain,**** shared**** a copy**** of**** the company's contract**** terms,**** which barred**** staffers**** from**** jumping to**** any competitor**** within**** two years of**** leaving.****

在2014年的一个可笑的例子中，三明治连锁店Jimmy John's的一名员工分享了该公司的合同条款，其中禁止员工在离职后两年内跳槽到任何竞争对手的公司。

Sandwich**** artists are not the only**** Americans doing basic jobs**** who are so**** constrained.****

做着初级工作却还受到限制的美国人不是只有三明治店员。

Studies have**** found that**** about 10****%**** of**** those on**** minimum wages,**** from**** barbers to**** waiters,**** face**** similar restrictions****.****

研究发现，从理发师到服务员，领取最低工资的群体中约有10%的人面临类似的限制。

Even for highly skilled employees, the merits of these limitations are questionable.

即使对于高技能员工来说，这些限制的好处也是值得怀疑的。

merit n. & v.

1. 作名词：优点；美德

【例】The film has the merit of being short.

这部电影很短，这是个优点。

2. 作动词：应得；值得

【例】It’s a fascinating book which merits attention.

这是本引人入胜的书，值得关注。

California, home to many of the world’s most disruptive tech firms, has long prohibited companies from stopping employees who wish to join rivals.

加利福尼亚州有许多世界上最具颠覆性的科技公司，该州长期以来一直不允许公司阻止员工加入竞争对手。

merit n. & v.

1. 作名词：优点；美德

【例】The film has the merit of being short.

这部电影很短，这是个优点。

2. 作动词：应得；值得

【例】It’s a fascinating book which merits attention.

这是本引人入胜的书，值得关注。

Ms. Jeffers's research points to a trade-off: although existing firms benefited from job-hopping restrictions, she found such rules led to a 7% fall in new companies entering knowledge-intensive sectors.

杰弗斯的研究指出了一种利弊权衡：尽管现有公司受益于跳槽限制，但她发现这些规定导致进入知识密集型行业的新公司减少了7%。

merit n. & v.

1. 作名词：优点；美德

【例】The film has the merit of being short.

这部电影很短，这是个优点。

2. 作动词：应得；值得

【例】It’s a fascinating book which merits attention.

这是本引人入胜的书，值得关注。

They thus represent an impediment to innovation.

因此，这表明竞业条款阻碍了创新。

merit n. & v.

1. 作名词：优点；美德

【例】The film has the merit of being short.

这部电影很短，这是个优点。

2. 作动词：应得；值得

【例】It’s a fascinating book which merits attention.

这是本引人入胜的书，值得关注。

The tide has been turning against non-competes in America. At least ten states have blocked their use for low-wage workers.

在美国，意见趋势已经变成反对竞业条款。至少有十个州已经禁止对低薪工作者使用竞业条款。

up the ante 提高要求；增加金额

【例】He decided to up the ante in the trade war.

他决定在贸易战中提高要价。

【拓展】ante up 支付

【例】Small firms that want to expand must ante up large legal fees.

小公司想要扩展就必须支付一大笔律师费。

On April 23rd the FTC upped the ante, voting for a sweeping ban.

4月23日，联邦贸易委员会加大了力度，投票支持全面禁止竞业条款。

up the ante 提高要求；增加金额

【例】He decided to up the ante in the trade war.

他决定在贸易战中提高要价。

【拓展】ante up 支付

【例】Small firms that want to expand must ante up large legal fees.

小公司想要扩展就必须支付一大笔律师费。

Under the rules, existing non-competes for executives making over $151,164 a year can be maintained, but all other non-competes will no longer be enforced, and employers will be barred from creating any new ones, including for executives.

根据规定，对年收入超过15 1164美元的高管的现有竞业条款可以保留，但所有其他竞业条款将不再执行，而且雇主将被禁止设立任何新的竞业条款，包括对高管。

up the ante 提高要求；增加金额

【例】He decided to up the ante in the trade war.

他决定在贸易战中提高要价。

【拓展】ante up 支付

【例】Small firms that want to expand must ante up large legal fees.

小公司想要扩展就必须支付一大笔律师费。

The FTC anticipates that the ban will lift the rate of business creation by 3% and increase earnings for the average worker by about $500 per year.

联邦贸易委员会预计，这项禁令将使企业创办率提高3%，并使普通工作者的平均年收入增加约500美元。

up the ante 提高要求；增加金额

【例】He decided to up the ante in the trade war.

他决定在贸易战中提高要价。

【拓展】ante up 支付

【例】Small firms that want to expand must ante up large legal fees.

小公司想要扩展就必须支付一大笔律师费。

课后练习

• What is the primary purpose of non-compete clauses?

  A. To prevent workers from demanding higher wages or better working conditions.

  B. To restrict the growth of rival companies by limiting their access to skilled labor.

  C. To ensure that companies can invest in their employees without losing trade secrets.

  D. To provide workers with the opportunity to seek apprenticeships with multiple mentors.

• What issue does the text highlight regarding the use of non-compete clauses?

  A. They restrict the salary and job opportunities of many workers.

  B. They fail to protect high-level trade secrets in complex industries.

  C. They are rarely enforced and fail to serve as legal tools in America.

  D. They are applied inappropriately to low-wage workers in basic job roles.

• What impact do non-compete clauses have on innovation according to Ms. Jeffers's research?

  A. They constrain the development of many tech businesses in California.

  B. They stifle healthy competition in knowledge-intensive industries.

  C. They enhance the innovation of new companies in knowledge-intensive sectors.

  D. They lead to a decrease in new companies entering knowledge-intensive sectors.

• What recent action has been taken regarding non-compete clauses in America?

  A. The FTC voted to enforce non-compete clauses more strictly.

  B. Ten states have banned the use of non-compete clauses for all workers.

  C. The FTC voted to abolish the use of non-compete clauses except for certain executives.

  D. All states have allowed companies to make new non-compete clauses only for executives.