SCOTUS, don’t strip Americans of their right to sue collectively

"Issues surrounding mandatory individual arbitration may not capture the nation’s attention like healthcare or the NFL, but they are at the center of debate in all three branches of government. Our commitment to equal justice is being tested, and the rights of consumers and employees hang in the balance.

Supreme Court decisions dating back to the early 1990s have enabled mandatory arbitration clauses to become nearly ubiquitous in the fine print of employment and consumer contracts.

These take-it-or-leave-it agreements force consumers and employees to relinquish access to the public courts when their rights are violated. Instead, their claims are funneled into private, often confidential arbitration proceedings, where the corporation who wronged them may have a thumb on the scales. These clauses cover all sorts of legal claims — including civil rights claims..."

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