In late 2017 or early 2018, employers should anticipate clarity from the U.S. Supreme Court as to whether arbitration agreements requiring workers to waive their right to file class or collective actions violates the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA"). Stemming from a series of rulings by the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") that it is unlawful to condition employment on the waiver of the right to engage in class litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral argument at the beginning of October.

Since the NLRB's D.R. Horton decision in 2012 there has been a split among the Circuit Courts of Appeal on the legality of class action waivers. For example, Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis the Seventh Circuit rendered a class action waiver unenforceable in agreement with D.R. Horton. Subsequently, the Seventh Circuit was joined by the Sixth and Ninth Circuits who took a similar position in Ernst & Young LLP v. Morris. In contrast, the Second, Eighth, and Fifth Circuits have disagreed with the D.R. Horton decision. Due to this disagreement in the lower courts, in January 2017 the Supreme Court granted three petitions for certiorari and agreed to hear the Lewis, Morris, and Fifth Circuit case NLRB v. Murphy Oil in one consolidated case on October 2, 2017.

Because the NLRA protects the "concerted activities" of employees irrespective of union participation, the Supreme Court's decision will affect many different types of industries across the country. As shown in a recent class action survey, more than 50% of U.S. companies faced employment class actions in 2016. Thus, the Supreme Court's decision could significantly increase or reduce the scope of class or collective action litigation tactics.

Download full article, "Burr Alert: Supreme Court Set To Weigh In On Class Action Waivers" written by Amy Jordan Wilkes and Miya Moore.