So not only would the rule prevent an unfair method or tactic of competition (Which these agreements binding workers are), but it also does increase competition of a valuable sort: namely rivalry between businesses in competing for workers.

That's qualitatively distinct--just a different real world phenomenon--from business rivalry based on a race to the bottom on wages. But if you just subsume all of that under "labor market competition," you don't see that!

At #2, confirming our long-held suspicion that LPE Blog readers love charts, Marshall Steinbaum (@econ_marshall) opened a new front in the battle to save workers from the gig economy.

https://lpeproject.org/blog/the-antitrust-case-against-gig-economy-labor-platforms/

In our 6th most read post of the year, we have an economist (@econ_marshall) reminding us that, "When It Comes to the History of Economics, Don't Think Like an Economist."

https://lpeproject.org/blog/when-it-comes-to-the-history-of-economics-dont-think-like-an-economist/