Category: Arbitration: Collective Bargaining

Class, Collective Bargaining, CCP 1281.2: Court Of Appeal Reverses Order Staying Individual Arbitrations Pending Trial Of “Non-Arbitrable Claims”–Because All Claims Are Arbitrable

“Judicial Economy Was Not . . A Proper Basis For Delaying Arbitration.”      What’s a judge to do when confronted with the possibility of compelling thousands of individual grievances to arbitration, versus staying the arbitration of arbitral issues, while one case is tried?  Here, the trial judge expediently stayed the individual arbitrations, and got reversed […]

Arbitration/Collective Bargaining/Federal Arbitration Act: Court of Appeal Finds That Individual Arbitration Agreement Not Inconsistent With Collective Bargaining Agreement Is Enforceable

Where Federal Preemption Applies, The Employee’s Contract Cannot Deprive The Employee Of A Benefit – Such As The Right to File a Lawsuit Instead Of Arbitrating – If The Collective Bargaining Agreement Provides The Benefit.       Denying employer’s motion to compel arbitration, and both parties’ sanction motions, the trial judge explained:  “It’s clear to me […]

Arbitration/Gateway Issues/Waiver/Employment: Court Of Appeal Affirms Order Denying Employer’s Motion Seeking To Compel Kurt The CyberGuy To Arbitrate

Opinion Addresses Substantive Versus Procedural Arbitrability – And Who Gets To Decide      Kurt Knutsson, aka Kurt the CyberGuy, and his company, Woojivas, Incorporated, filed claims against KTLA, LLC, a television broadcaster, for breach of contract, misappropriating CyberGuy’s name and likeness, unfair business practices, and age discrimination.  The company brought a motion to compel arbitration […]

Arbitration/Collective Bargaining/Construction of Agreement: In 4-3 Decision, California Supreme Court Rules That City of Los Angeles Must Arbitrate City’s Furlough Decisions

Dissenters Worries About Practical Consequences of Arbitrating Furlough Dispute In Budgetary Crisis      With this post, I inaugurate a new sidebar category:  Collective Bargaining.      Facing a fiscal emergency, the City of Los Angeles adopted a mandatory furlough program for its civilian employees.  Represented by a union, the employees filed grievances, arguing the furloughs violated […]