Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act

For many years, corporate giants such as Amazon, Uber, Apple, Tesla, and many others have relied upon forced-arbitration to subdue the rights of Americans they do business with. In requiring arbitration to be included in the contracts with their consumers and employees, businesses are able to settle legal disputes outside of court and in the quiet privacy of an arbitrator instead of a judge and jury.

Essentially, when citizens search for justice against corporations that’ve wronged them, they are denied their Sixth Amendment right and told the issue must be settled in arbitration. In arbitration, the plaintiff is put at a great disadvantage against the wealthy company, often receiving settlement values much lower than what they would be in front of a jury and without any press able to share the story.

However, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal has introduced a bill with 34 cosponsors to end this blatant deprivation of rights.  Known as the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act, this bill would prohibit companies from having predispute arbitration agreements. This would prevent the forcing of arbitration in employment, consumer, antitrust, civil rights, and other disputes that everyday Americans must fight against.

This bill also prohibits contractual agreements that restrain individuals from exercising their right to engage in collective action, such as involving other plaintiffs who’ve been wronged in their case.

While it’s unfortunate that congressmen need to advocate for bills that reinforce Americans’ constitutional rights, some solace may be found in knowing there are leaders who are still pushing to protect the rights of everyday Americans. This is a little-known, but huge win for all Americans.