Against the grain: The Tipline for 2 June 2021

Some critics of modern antitrust enforcement say the agencies have too often ignored labour-related issues. Regardless of whether that criticism is warranted, the cases have steadily been coming. On Tuesday, the Department of Justice required divestitures for an agricultural merger after concluding that the deal would have given the merging parties monopsony power over corn and soybean farmers along the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, the state of Illinois also saw its wage-fixing claims survive a motion to dismiss.