Workers and consumers are closing in on a major victory against runaway corporate power.

Last Thursday, the U.S House of Representatives passed a bill — the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal (FAIR) Act — that would ban forced arbitration in employment, consumer, antitrust, and civil rights disputes.

Forced arbitration clauses are a non-negotiable part of the contracts and terms of service we all sign or accept as part of everyday life. They prevent workers and consumers from having their day in court when companies violate the law.

Public Citizen has been a leader in the fight against forced arbitration for over a decade — even arguing against the practice at the Supreme Court.

Here’s how Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen, described this big step forward in our work to hold Big Business accountable:

“There may be no more blatant example of how giant corporations rig our economy and political system than the take-it-or-leave-it, fine-print language they insert into the consumer, employment, and other contracts we enter into every day. In an important step forward, the House passed the FAIR Act, a measure that would end the tricks and traps that are endemic in form contracts, including those you enter by clicking ‘I agree’ on the internet. Hundreds of millions of contracts contain forced arbitration provisions and class-action waivers, denying consumers and workers the ability to file lawsuits in court and preventing them from joining with other similarly situated people to sue together.”

Now it’s up to the Senate to pass the bill so that President Biden can sign it into law.

Tell the Senate:

Far too many Americans have been forced to sign away the right to have their day in court if their legal rights are violated at work or if they are ripped off by a giant corporation. Follow the lead of your colleagues in the House and pass the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act so that American workers and consumers have a fighting chance to hold Big Business accountable for wrongdoing.

Add your name now.

Thank you for taking action.

For justice,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

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