By JoAnne Powers
Workers Independent News is heard Monday through Friday at 8:45 and 11:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.
In a major victory for American workers, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled Thursday night healthcare software company Epic Systems in Verona, Wisc. could not require mandatory arbitration agreements where employees are forced to waive their rights to collective and class actions.
The court says such agreements violate Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, which sets out employee rights on the job.
“one of those rights is the right to join with other employees to discuss with their employer issues of their compensation and their conditions of employment. Arbitration agreements that require employees to bring any claims they have individually, prevents employees from joining together. The history of the National Labor Relations Act makes clear that it’s very important to provide individual workers with a counterbalance to the power of the employer. Allowing employees to join together is an important way to do that,” said Kaitlyn Madden, one of the lawyers who brought the case.