The AFL-CIO, the umbrella federation for U.S. unions, recently published a statement declaring that investors must retain their legal right to hold corporations accountable in court. The statement calls out the predatory corporate practice of forced arbitration used against investors: “The ability of America’s workers to invest with confidence is threatened by the increasing use […]
The Fair Arbitration Now Coalition Applauds President Obama’s Executive Order to Protect Workers’ Civil Rights WASHINGTON, DC, Aug. 1 — The White House has taken a very important step in protecting the rights of workers, according to the Fair Arbitration Now Coalition, which was formed to protect consumers, employees, homeowners, and the elderly from forced […]
Rep. Henry “Hank” Johnson (D-Ga.), sponsor of the Arbitration Fairness Act, H.R. 1844, applauded President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order and also called for more action to end forced arbitration. “I applaud President Obama for undertaking this important initiative to protect workers,” said Rep. Johnson. “Although I encourage the President to do […]
Today President Obama signed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order. “The Executive Order directs companies with federal contracts of $1 million or more not to require their employees to enter into predispute arbitration agreements for disputes arising out of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act or from torts related to sexual assault or […]
Rep. Patrick McHenry has proposed legislation that would strip the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of its authority to issue a rule to restrict forced arbitration in consumer financial services contracts. The FAN coalition strongly opposes this proposal. A hearing is scheduled for May 21 to consider this and other bills that aim to cripple the […]
In April 2014, General Mills inserted an arbitration clause and class action ban in its “legal terms” on its website. After significant news coverage and a public uproar, the company removed the arbitration provisions. Below is some of the coverage. The New Yorker, April 22, 2014, Is the General Mills decision cause for celebration? Los […]
Cross-posted from PUBLIC JUSTICE Public Justice Senior Attorney Paul Bland takes a look at the deeply flawed results of Mayer Brown’s “empirical analysis” attacking all class actions. Particularly striking, Paul explains, is the timing of this P.R. document — arriving the exact day as the Congressionally mandated study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau […]
Cross-posted from CITIZEN VOX. Follow @chrhines on Twitter Recently, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled “The Federal Arbitration Act and Access to Justice: Will Recent Supreme Court Decisions Undermine the Rights of Consumers, Workers, and Small Businesses?” So, will recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions undermine the rights of consumers, workers and small businesses? The answer is a […]
Microsoft sent the bad news to its users this week. The software company’s new terms of service require United States users of its products and services to resolve disputes against it in private arbitration, if the claim cannot be resolved in small claims court. Microsoft bans its customers from joining their claims together in class […]
The New York Times recently published an illuminating story on the difficulty of discharging student loan debt in bankruptcy court. Incidentally, the story coincides with a Public Citizen report issued last month on consumers’ access to justice in the student loan industry. The report, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Courthouse Doors Shut for Aggrieved Private Student Loan […]