Preservation of Civil Rights Protections Act of 2005

H.R. 2969, the Preservation of Civil Rights Protections Act of 2005, proposes to change federal law to prevent employers from requiring workers to resolve legal disputes through private arbitration rather than in a court of law. Under this bill, any clause in an employment contract that mandates arbitration would be considered unenforceable unless the employee voluntarily agrees to it after a specific legal claim has already arisen.

For the average citizen, this legislation would mean that employees could not be forced to waive their right to a jury trial as a condition of getting or keeping a job. While the bill includes exceptions for collective bargaining agreements, its primary impact would be to ensure that workers have the option to pursue civil rights or labor law violations through the public judicial system.