A Democratic bill with 15 Democratic cosponsors · See all 17 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Restoring Justice for Workers Act aims to prohibit forced arbitration in work disputes. It seeks to stop employers from requiring workers to sign agreements that prevent them from going to court or joining class actions before a dispute even happens. The bill also prohibits retaliation against workers who refuse to enter these arbitration agreements. For post-dispute situations, the bill sets specific requirements to ensure any agreement is truly voluntary and informed. Finally, it amends the National Labor Relations Act to protect employees' rights to engage in concerted activities regarding work disputes.
Yes· 3 of 6
- Scored +9
Would union members be better off under this?
The bill strongly protects collective actions and protects workers from retaliation for exercising their rights.
- Scored +8
Does this protect the right to fair treatment by the courts?
The bill preserves workers' rights to access the court system and ensures more robust due process in employment disputes.
- Scored +7
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
By prohibiting forced arbitration, the bill makes legal redress more accessible for workers who often rely on collective actions.
The opposite
- Scored -6
Would business owners be better off under this?
The bill limits the ability of employers to use arbitration to resolve workplace disputes, potentially increasing litigation costs.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Restoring Access to Courts: The bill prohibits "predispute arbitration agreements" that require arbitration of work disputes, which helps prevent workers from being forced to give up their right to seek recourse in court as a condition of employment (Section 5, Section 502(a)(1)).
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Protection of Collective Action: The Act amends the National Labor Relations Act to prohibit agreements that prevent employees from joining together for "joint, class, or collective" claims, allowing workers to seek relief more affordably (Section 4; Section 5, Section 502(a)(3)).
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Preventing Retaliation: The bill prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who refuse to enter into arbitration agreements, protecting them from adverse actions for exercising their rights (Section 3; Section 5, Section 502(a)(5)).
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Ensuring Informed Consent: For post-dispute agreements, the bill requires that workers be informed in plain language of their right to refuse the agreement without retaliation, ensuring they understand what they are signing (Section 5, Section 502(a)(2)(B)).
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Legal Redress for Wrongful Retaliation: Workers who are retaliated against for refusing arbitration can bring civil actions in federal court to seek relief, including reasonable attorney's fees and costs (Section 5, Section 502(c)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Exceptions for Labor Organizations: The protections regarding concerted activity and the new arbitration rules do not apply to agreements embodied in contracts between an employer and a labor organization (Section 4, Section 5, Section 502(d)(2)(C)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would union members be better off under this? — The bill strongly protects collective actions and protects workers from retaliation for exercising their rights. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — By prohibiting forced arbitration, the bill makes legal redress more accessible for workers who often rely on collective actions. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — The bill provides better legal recourse for employees in various work disputes. Would business owners be better off under this? — The bill limits the ability of employers to use arbitration to resolve workplace disputes, potentially increasing litigation costs.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this protect the right to fair treatment by the courts? — The bill preserves workers' rights to access the court system and ensures more robust due process in employment disputes. Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill expands federal oversight of work disputes by amending the National Labor Relations Act and Title 9.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this strengthen the rights of workers to organise? — The bill enhances worker rights to collective action and protects them from retaliation, which strengthens labor organization efforts.
- 8/3/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/30/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 16 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Tammy BaldwinDemocrat · Wisconsin
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Catherine Cortez MastoDemocrat · Nevada
Richard DurbinDemocrat · Illinois
Ruben GallegoDemocrat · Arizona
Mazie HironoDemocrat · Hawaii
Amy KlobucharDemocrat · Minnesota
Angus KingIndependent · Maine
Edward MarkeyDemocrat · Massachusetts
Christopher MurphyDemocrat · Connecticut
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Gary PetersDemocrat · Michigan
John ReedDemocrat · Rhode Island
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont
Jeanne ShaheenDemocrat · New Hampshire
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts