CFA and the associated organizations strongly support the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2013 (or “AFA”), S. 878, introduced in the Senate by Senator Al Franken (D-MN). This important legislation would end the growing predatory practice of forcing non-union employees, consumers, and small businesses to sign away their Constitutional rights to legal protections and access to federal and state courts. Predispute binding mandatory (or forced) arbitration clauses are proliferating in employment contracts (including minimum wage-workers, whistleblowers, servicemembers, and executives), and in everyday consumer contracts for products and services such as credit cards, child care, cell phones, car loans, home construction, student loans, rent-to-own products, payday loans, health insurance policies, and nursing homes.

