Dozens of groups , include the ACLU , NAACP , and the Economic Policy Institute , wrote lettersto some of America ’s large technical school companies on Friday , demanding that they unblock their employees from forced arbitrament . Amazon , Apple , Facebook , Twitter , Google , and Uber were among the companies whose chief operating officer received the letters .
Friday ’s letters come over eight calendar month after the groups ’ first letter to tech CEOs , which were send in February of this year , calling for the same affair : to eliminate the storm arbitration clause from their employee agreement . push arbitrament de jure prevents an employee from having their charge heard by a jury . IBM , Dell , Intel , United Tech , Hewlett - Packard , Cisco , HP , Oracle , Netflix , Lyft , Instagram , Tech Data and Xerox also receive Friday ’s varsity letter .
The exercise of squeeze arbitrament require workers to contractually match not to litigate their employer , which often includes family action lawsuit . Instead , disputes are settle by a third - party arbiter , often behind closed doors .
“ Much has happened since we first wrote to you , ” the groupswrote in their letterto Amazon ’s Jeff Bezos . “ We have seen how forced arbitration clauses have been used in a sort of way to obliterate actus reus , from companies attempting to silence claims of intimate torment to stopping customers who have been offend on their products from accessing justice . Your silence is lead to a culture of secrecy . ”
Public Citizen , a nonprofit dedicated to advocate for the public stake and against incorporated interest , was among the 47 chemical group that pen the letters on Friday . The nonprofit alsocreated a letterthat was fork out to Amazon in May urging the company to scrap its forced arbitration agreements . It was signed bythousands of activists .
“ As a service that is used by millions of people worldwide , Amazon has the great power to shape other company with its natural action , ” the letter submit . “ Amazon is currently seeking to build a second corporate headquarters , with one of its criteria that the location must be a diverse and vivacious environment . And as a technical school company that pride itself on a progressive work environs , get rid of forced arbitration provisions for all claims related to the workplace and employees should be no brainer . ”
Amazontold Gizmodoin February that employees never had pressure arbitration clauses , but in May , a spokesperson confirmedthat at least some of its contractors do have clauses in their contract . Facebook confirmed to Gizmodo in February that it does coerce its employees into arbitrement .
While most tech companiesremain tight - lippedabout the nature of their employment agreements , forced arbitration is barely an rare practice . And it is one that directly contributes to issues of systemic discrimination and misconduct within party , calm down employees and keeping issues out of the public centre . For companies that have made such sweeping declaration to improve their discriminatory and toxic work culture , there is a startling hypocrisy in go forward to shove these issues out of the spotlight . Issues that might inspire others to speak up , or permit them know that they are n’t alone .
“ technical school company promote themselves as responsible companies in the marketplace . Yet , these companies are forcing doer who are dupe of favoritism or torment into a privatized organisation of justice where they have a very gamey likelihood of mislay , ” Remington A. Gregg , counsel for civic justice and consumer right for Public Citizen ’s Congress Watch , say in a instruction . “ This is not a right look for these companies . ”
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