Katharine I. Rand

Supreme Court Affirms Class Action Waivers in Employment Arbitration Agreements

Since the Federal Arbitration Act’s (FAA) enactment in 1925, parties have sparred over the enforceability of arbitration agreements in a number of contexts. In recent years, the battle has focused on the enforceability of class or collective action waivers, pursuant to which parties agree to forgo their right to proceed on a class basis and to pursue claims in arbitration on an individual basis instead. Between 2011 and 2013, the United States Supreme Court issued several opinions enforcing class action waivers in the consumer context, but none dealt with employment arbitration agreements. On Monday, the United States Supreme Court removed any doubt that class or collective action waivers contained in employment arbitration agreements are enforceable, affirming a potential cure for the employment class action epidemic.

The argument that employment class action waivers are different from consumer class action waivers derives from Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which guarantees employees the right to engage in collective activities

Romulus v. CVS Pharmacy, Inc.: Meal Periods, Ascertainability, and the Importance of Removal.

In Romulus v. CVS Pharmacy, Inc., five former Shift Supervisors brought a putative class action against CVS under the Massachusetts Wage Act, contending they were required to work through their unpaid breaks.  Specifically, the plaintiffs alleged that they were required to remain in the store during their breaks when they were the only managerial employees on duty, were interrupted to handle transactions when necessary, and were nonetheless not paid for their time.  In a 12-page opinion issued last week, United States District Judge Rya Zobel denied the plaintiffs’ request for class certification, finding they failed to satisfy the requirements of commonality and predominance under Rule 23.

Although CVS policy required a member of management to be present in the store at all times during operating hours, the policy also provided employees with one unpaid 30-minute meal break for each six or eight-hour shift, and instructed employees that, in the event their meal period was interrupted, they should notify their manager to

Supreme Court Will Hear Class Action Waiver Cases

Last week, the Supreme Court consolidated and agreed to hear three appeals of Circuit Court decisions concerning whether class action waivers contained in employment arbitration agreements infringe on employees’ rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.  According to the schedule currently in place, briefing on these cases will commence in late February 2017.  Unless a ninth Supreme Court justice is appointed, confirmed, and seated before oral argument in this consolidated appeal, the possibility of a 4-4 decision—and resulting preservation of the status quo–looms large. 

 

Fifth Circuit Reaffirms Enforceability of Class Action Waivers in Employment Arbitration Agreements, But Their Fate Remains Unclear

Employers commonly use arbitration agreements to minimize the expense and exposure of employment-related claims.   By mandating arbitration of employment disputes, they hope to ensure that these matters are resolved in a cost-effective and confidential manner.  Many arbitration agreements go a step further, requiring employees to pursue their claims individually, and to waive their right to proceed on a class or collective basis.   Unfortunately, the certainty employers have striven to achieve with such agreements has proven elusive in recent years, as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and several courts have found that class action waivers violate employees’ rights.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2011 decision in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion upheld the enforceability of class action waivers in the consumer context, in the years since, the NLRB has repeatedly rejected the use of class action waivers in the employment context.  In In re D.R. Horton, the NLRB held that class action waivers inherently infringe on employees’