NLRB Judge Gives Approval For Company’s Noncompete Agreement

A wheelchair manufacturer must rescind part of their employment contracts forbidding workers from discussing the terms of the agreement but its non-disparagement and noncompete provisions can remain intact, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled.

The contract given to Permobil Inc. workers as a condition of their employment largely followed standards under the National Labor Relations Act, said NLRB Administrative Law Judge Robert Giannasi.

The Swedish manufacturer faced claims that it had violated the law with an overly-restrictive contract and by suing a worker to enforce the policy. The charges came after Mark Westphal, who worked for Permobil in Tennessee, ...