Sixty million people are subject to mandatory arbitration in employment contracts, which takes away their access to the court system that protects their legal employment rights. These agreements are used by employers to require employees, as a condition of employment, to agree to arbitrate legal disputes rather than being able to go to court, barring access to the courts for all types of legal claims, including those based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. In other words, when a worker is paid less than they are owed, is fired for being pregnant, or is underpaid because of their race, they cannot have their claim heard in a court of law—instead, they are locked into a process that favors the employer.

Join the Economic Policy Institute for an examination of the growing use of mandatory arbitration and class and collective action waivers and their impact on workers. The panel will present a new EPI paper by Cornell professor Alexander J.S. Colvin that expands on his earlier work on the use of mandatory arbitration agreements and class and collective action waivers, discuss the impact of these practices—including the ways in which they impact sexual harassment litigation—and the potential impact of National Labor Relations Board v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc, currently before the Supreme Court.

Speakers include:

• Alexander J.S. Colvin, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Diversity, and Faculty Development, Cornell University
• Sharon Block, Executive Director, Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School
• Sunu P. Chandy, Legal Director, National Women’s Law Center
• Ceilidh Gao, Staff Attorney, National Employment Law Project
• Kate Hamaji, Research Analyst, Center for Popular Democracy

This event will be livestreamed here:  

This event is free and open to the public and lunch will be provided. Your RSVP will help us prepare.

What: An examination of the growing use of mandatory arbitration and class and collective action waivers and their impact on workers

Where: The Economic Policy Institute
1225 I Street NW, Sixth floor
Washington, DC 20005

When: Friday, April 6 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern.

Members of the media please RSVP to news@epi.org.