On December 3, 2013, the 5th Circuit issued an important new decision finding that class action waiver provisions in mandatory arbitration agreements under the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) are enforceable. However, in the specific case at bar the court found that the agreement in question was unenforceable because it reasonably could be read to prohibit employees from filing complaints of unfair labor practices with the NLRB.
In the case, the employee and employer entered into an arbitration agreement which provided that arbitration was the exclusive forum for disputes, and that neither party could resort to filing a case in court. The agreement also contained a class action waiver provision. The provision provided that: “the arbitrator [would] not have the authority to consolidate the claims of other employees” and would “not have the authority to fashion a proceeding as a class or collective action or to award relief to a group or a class of employees in one arbitration proceeding.”
After his employment ended, the employee and a class of similarly-situated employees attempted to fashion a class-wide arbitration, alleging that they had not received overtime payments due to improper classification under the FLSA. The employer responded by noting that the arbitration agreement banned such class arbitration attempts, but acknowledged that the employer could proceed on an individual claim if he so chose. The employee claimed the arbitration agreement violated the NLRA. A NLRB ALJ found that the arbitration agreement could be interpreted as prohibiting employees from filing unfair labor practice charges, and the NLRB agreed, noting that the agreement illegally prohibited the employee from engaging in concerted activities.
Virginia Employment Law Blog
