This is why non-compete clauses need to be BANNED. They are a steaming pile of B.S.
Seriously, we live in a country based on freedom and capitalism. If Station X wants to pay you twice as much as Station Y, you should be able to tell Station X to stick it where the sun don't shine. It's called a fair market. If you want the goods, you have to be willing to pay the price.
While a fair number of people in this business ARE grossly overpaid, I still think non-competes are crap. Especially when stations put the workers with the sub-par salaries under non-competes. Your only option to make significantly more money is to leave the business or leave town. Not a pleasant decision to make when you like the area you're living in, but you're just a lowly reporter, producer or photog. If non-competes weren't allowed, Station X would be forced to pay people more decent wages, in order to keep everyone from defecting to Station Y.
It's even worse when non-competes remain in effect even after you've been FIRED. I can almost side with stations enforcing non-competes to keep people from jumping ship on their own, but if the station lets you go, you should be free to seek employment anywhere you want. To be let go from a job solely for money reasons, then to be told you're not allowed to do similar work anywhere else in town for a year... this is America?
Other states have banned 'em... let's go, New York! We can ban people from eating fatty donuts, but we can't stop broadcasters from treating their employees like slaves. What a wonderful place to live.
