Tag: Arbitration

arbitration

Employee ‘Unaware’ of Signed Arbitration Agreement Compelled to Arbitrate

When launching an arbitration agreement, you must understand the pros and cons of requiring your employees to sign one as well as which workers should be covered and the hurdles of enforcement. Depending on the potential value of the claim to be arbitrated, the filing fee could result in a five-figure charge just to initiate […]

Bill takes aim at forced arbitration of sexual harassment complaints

by Tammy Binford Arbitration, long a favored method of handling workplace disputes, would be removed as an option in sexual harassment and gender discrimination cases if a new bill introduced in Congress becomes law. Often, employment contracts contain arbitration clauses that require disputes to be settled through arbitration instead of litigation. Also, complaint settlements frequently […]

The erosion of employers’ managerial rights

by Mikael Maher In a recent arbitration case, Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. v. Steelworkers, Local 7065-75, the arbitrator, Bruno Leclerc, and the Superior Court of Quebec challenged a well-established principle in labor relations, which is that an employer retains managerial rights in the absence of limiting provisions in the collective agreement. In this case, the […]

Supreme Court will consider class action waivers

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a trio of wage and hour cases involving arbitration agreements that require workers to waive their right to pursue employment claims as a group. In recent years, the validity of such waivers has divided federal appeals courts and drawn the attention of the National Labor Relations Board […]

Arbitration awards: a permanent part of an employee file

by Emilie Paquin-Holmested In Canada, amnesty clauses are commonly found in collective agreements. The purpose of such clauses is to erase disciplinary measures from an employee’s file after a given period, usually between six and 24 months. Therefore, normally employers cannot consider disciplinary measures that predate the amnesty period when determining the appropriate disciplinary measure […]

Keep your eyes on these labor and employment Supreme Court cases

by Judith E. Kramer The first Monday in October (October 5) marked the beginning of the U.S. Supreme Court’s new term. While during the course of the 2015-2016 term the Court could agree to hear additional cases, these are the labor and employment cases currently on the docket, as well as a case involving affirmative […]

To arbitrate or not to arbitrate? That is the question

by David Johnson Including a mandatory arbitration provision in an employment contract is a trendy thing to do. Is it the right thing to do for your business? Let’s look at some commonly accepted pros and cons of arbitration and dispel some myths. Pros Arbitration is cheaper and quicker. This is usually true because court […]