Well it would have been nice to not sign parts of a non-compete but that's not reality. Singing it - everyone working for the Distributor- was what you had to do to get/ keep your job. To make it more complicated, in the last couple of years, Depuy required a non-compete to be signed with the Distributor and one with them to safeguard from a distributorship going out and joining a competitor and taking all the business with them.... Which happened several times before they wised up.
It's a bad situation. It's this icky shit that is the ugly, messy part of this business. The Distributor sure was happy to spend the money made off the back of people like me- jet setting the globe...... And callously cut my throat, hired box openers at a fraction of pay in order to line his pockets as long as he can before they take his business direct. Then he'll get a fat check and ride his fat ass into the sunset.