NEW: Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Colin Allred, and Rep. Hank Johnson just introduced the Ending Forced Arbitration of Race Discrimination Act. Consumers, workers and patients have their hands tied by forced arbitration: a secretive, rigged process that deprives us of our right to seek justice and public accountability.
For victims of race discrimination, this fight could not be more important. And the harms of forced arbitration are widespread: some of the most recognizable American companies, like Tesla, are culprits. For at least a decade, since 2012, rampant racial discrimination and a racially hostile environment has been a serious, ongoing problem at Tesla factories. From racial slurs to pay disparities and denial of advancement opportunities, Tesla workers experienced unconscionable civil rights violations. A lawsuit last year in the state of California brought these revelations into public light, but because of forced arbitration, the workers themselves were not able to seek justice and public accountability in court. That must change. It’s on us to be the change.
Last year, President Joe Biden signed an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill that restored the rights of Americans to decide for themselves whether to file their case in a public court of law rather than be forced into arbitration for cases of sexual assault and harassment. Now, the time has come to extend these protections to cases of race discrimination. The Ending Forced Arbitration of Race Discrimination bill would do just that.
Don’t delay, do your part today: contact your members of Congress and ask them to pass the Ending Forced Arbitration of Race Discrimination Act! If we all stand together, we will win.
