Googlers are calling Congress to end forced arbitration

Google employees are organizing a phone drive to press lawmakers to legally end forced arbitration.

In February, Google said it would end its use of forced arbitration clauses. The clauses, which are widely used in many industries, funnel employee complaints to a private legal system instead of the courts. Critics of the policies say they give employers an advantage over workers in disputes.

But while Google dropped the policy, some employees are looking for national legislation to ban the practice across the United States. Employees recently appeared alongside Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to urge Congress to pass the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal (FAIR) Act.

The employees are organizing a phone bank for May 1st and asking for people to make three calls to lawmakers — two to the caller’s senators and one to their representative — pushing for the FAIR Act, which was recently reintroduced in the House of Representatives. The workers are also publishing a guide, which includes contact information about lawmakers.

“In denying access to the courts, Google denied its employees access to their rights,” the employees said in a statement. “While we’ve seen some significant strides by our employer, we refuse to rest until all workers have their full rights.”