Antitrust Compliance statement
As part of our transition to a statewide association, AAOHN requires that we complete an Affiliation Agreement. The agreement has a number items we must verify for compliance. Antitrust Compliance is one of those items. Our Board voted to use the language that AAOHN and most other associations are adopting. As a non-profit organization, we cannot to be involved in setting or fixing prices within the industry or promoting vendors. Please read the Antitrust Compliance statement following this article. I realize that this is heavy reading but as Association members, it is vital that we, as occupational health nurses, understand the issues of antitrust. The AAOHN tells us that mere attendance at a meeting where competitors discuss their prices is sufficient to imply involvement. If such a conversation should take place during a meeting, as an Association member, your recourse is to stand up and attempt to stop the discussion, and explain the antitrust issue and its consequences. If the dialog persists, state your objection to the discussion and leave the room. If you have questions about this issue, please contact Karin Drake, OSAOHN President at karin.drake@escocorp.com
The
AAOHN Statement on Antitrust
"Association activities are under the jurisdiction of federal and state antitrust laws. These laws regulate trade and commerce to prohibit unlawful restraints and to promote competition. Association requires that all its activities be conducted strictly in accordance with these laws. The most critical antitrust violation is a charge of price-fixing. Under the Sherman Act, members of associations are prohibited from reaching any understanding that the affects the price of a product, regardless of the purpose of the understanding. Members should never discuss current or future prices, or what constitutes a fair profit level. There can be absolutely no discussion between or among competitors at any time concerning prices you charge or propose to charge your customers, or the price you pay or propose to pay your suppliers. However, it is permissible to discuss methods by which a company may become more profitable by acquiring better knowledge of its own costs, or summarizing effective methods of marketing or purchasing."