Top DOL Attorney Targets ‘Coercive’ Contracts That Deter Workers

US Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda says her office is cracking down on illegal “fine print” contract provisions that discourage workers from exercising their rights under federal labor law.

The office, which serves as the litigation arm of the Labor Department, released a special enforcement report Tuesday outlining a number of “coercive” employment contract provisions that it says can deter workers from leaving an unsafe job or filing complaints with the agency.

Those include provisions that require employees to agree: they are independent contractors, to pay their employer’s costs in unsuccessful litigation or arbitration, to pay for their cost of ...