Illustration: Megan Robinson/Axios
Democratic lawmakers unveiled a new bill this week that would allow victims of workplace racial discrimination to file cases in public court, instead of being forced into arbitration.
Why it matters: Forcing these cases into secretive courts — essentially private courtrooms shielded from public view — makes it harder to hold companies or individuals accountable when they violate workers' civil rights, opponents of arbitration argue.
"Forced arbitration denies to many Americans the choice to freely decide for themselves, whether and how to enforce their fundamental rights in a public court of law," said Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) who introduced the legislation along with Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.).
Catch up fast: The bill follows last year's passage of a law that bans forced arbitration in cases of sexual assault and harassment.
That new law already changed the way employers write employment contracts, employment lawyers told Axios.
Read more on the original article : https://www.axios.com/2023/05/05/racial-discrimination-arbitration-congress