By Anna Hershenberg
As expected, on Monday, August 12, 2019, Governor Cuomo signed new legislation that, among other things, purports to bar the use of mandatory arbitration to resolve discrimination and harassment cases in the workplace in New York state.
The prior version of this law, New York CPLR § 7515, which went into effect last year, aimed to prohibit mandatory arbitration of workplace sexual harassment claims only; this version expands the prohibition to claims of other types of discrimination.
In June, Judge Denise Cote (SDNY) found the prior version of § 7515 to be preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act and therefore invalid. (Latif v. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC et al. (S.D.N.Y. 2019) (available at http://bit.ly/2y9w6AL)) Her ruling should apply with equal force to the amended version of § 7515, at least with respect to interstate matters.
CPR covered this issue earlier this month on CPRSpeaks:
The full text of the newly enacted § 7515 is pasted below (revisions in blue).
Section 7515: Mandatory arbitration clauses; prohibited
(a) Definitions. As used in this section:
1. The term “employer” shall have the same meaning as provided in subdivision five of section two hundred ninety-two of the executive law.
2. The term “prohibited clause” shall mean any clause or provision in any contract which requires as a condition of the enforcement of the contract or obtaining remedies under the contract that the parties submit to mandatory arbitration to resolve any allegation or claim of an unlawful discriminatory practice of sexual harassment. discrimination, in violation of laws prohibiting discrimination, including but not limited to, article fifteen of the executive law.
3. The term “mandatory arbitration clause” shall mean a term or provision contained in a written contract which requires the parties to such contract to submit any matter thereafter arising under such contract to arbitration prior to the commencement of any legal action to enforce the provisions of such contract and which also further provides language to the effect that the facts found or determination made by the arbitrator or panel of arbitrators in its application to a party alleging an unlawful discriminatory practice based on sexual harassment in violation of laws prohibiting discrimination, including but not limited to, article fifteen of the executive law shall be final and not subject to independent court review.
4. The term “arbitration” shall mean the use of a decision making forum conducted by an arbitrator or panel of arbitrators within the meaning and subject to the provisions of article seventy-five of the civil practice law and rules.
(b) (i) Prohibition. Except where inconsistent with federal law, no written contract, entered into on or after the effective date of this section shall contain a prohibited clause as defined in paragraph two of subdivision (a) of this section.
(ii) Exceptions. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to impair or prohibit an employer from incorporating a non-prohibited clause or other mandatory arbitration provision within such contract, that the parties agree upon.
(iii) Mandatory arbitration clause null and void. Except where inconsistent with federal law, the provisions of such prohibited clause as defined in paragraph two of subdivision (a) of this section shall be null and void. The inclusion of such clause in a written contract shall not serve to impair the enforceability of any other provision of such contract.
(c) Where there is a conflict between any collective bargaining agreement and this section, such agreement shall be controlling.
Anna Hershenberg is CPR’s Vice President of Programs and Public Policy
CPR Speaks 