Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act. Forced arbitration deprives workers of the choice to have their day in court. When companies impose forced arbitration clauses, they choose every aspect of the process. They choose the mediator; they choose the location; and they choose the terms of the relief. This is a lose-lose scenario, and it disproportionately harms workers, particularly women and communities of color, but it imposes enormous consequences for everyone. You sign a contract for car repair, for car rental, for any consumer transaction, and when you need that car rental, hidden in those contracts is a prohibition from you taking any claim to court. No choice, no notion, even, for the majority of people that this fundamental right to that choice to sue an unscrupulous corporation is being taken away from you when you sign that contract. Madam Speaker, I think of this bill as a bill for the little guy or the little woman. Women and people of color forced into arbitration face mostly White male arbitrators in environments that heavily favor corporate interests. When musician Jay-Z entered arbitration without a single Black arbitrator in the room, he asked for ``neutrals of color.'' But only three suggested alternatives were Black, one of whom was a partner at the law firm representing the opposing party.…”