No one is safe from the grip of forced arbitration-even if the named arbitration forum is no longer operational, as a Virginia housekeeper recently found out. In the case of Schuiling v. Harris, a live-in housekeeper signed an arbitration agreement, which was originally prepared for the employer's auto business, specifying the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) as the arbitrator if any disputes between them occurred. "The agreement was solely for arbitration purposes, as it did not state anything … [Read more...]

A case has shed light on labor rights in the medical marijuana industry. It's no secret that the medical marijuana business is growing across the nation, as an increasing number of states are legalizing its medical use, with some even permitting recreational consumption. But as these new business ventures begin to pop up across the country, although federal laws still prohibit the sale and use of the herb, employees are left wondering are they still covered by state and federal labor … [Read more...]

An agreement hidden in the fine print that waives your legal right to a trial when disputing claims against a company is being found in an ever-increasing number of consumer-business contracts including those with your bank and other financial institutions. But what many consumers don't realize is that this agreement, called a mandatory arbitration clause, is not in their best interest. In fact, a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts' Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project found that 66 … [Read more...]

U.S. consumers were dealt a huge blow by the U.S. Supreme Court, who ruled that corporations may use arbitration clauses to prevent dissatisfied consumers or disgruntled employees from joining together and filing a class action lawsuit. Keller Grover LLP and other consumer and employment attorneys are now sounding off about the controversial ruling, stating this decision will likely have widespread ramifications for all U.S. consumers and employees, who seemingly won't be able to receive justice … [Read more...]

An estimated 22 percent of the U.S. workforce is employed by the nation's biggest violators of federal workplace safety and wage laws-government contractors. A study by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee not only highlighted the rampant labor law compliance problem in the U.S., it showed that the problem is so rampant that not even employees working for the government are immune from being affected by wage theft and other labor law violations. The study also revealed that … [Read more...]