For anyone who has ever signed an employment contract with a television station, this is a must see. New York’s governor has signed a new law called the “Broadcast Employees Freedom to Work Act.” According to Newsday:
The legislation bans contract provisions that condition employment based on certain types of “noncompete” agreements such as not allowing broadcasters to take another job in a particular region, with a competitor in the same market or within a defined period of time.
Those provisions, the governor’s office said, forced some broadcasters to move outside of the region to find work and limited others from finding employment in New York-ending some careers.
“Broadcasters, like other members of the media, play an important role in our democracy by providing the public with critical news and analysis that help us shape the ongoing discourse about the future of our society,” said Governor David Paterson.
The article goes on to say that non-compete clauses put an “unfair burden” on broadcast journalists by “limiting their ability to move to other employers within the same market or within a certain time period.”
