Erewhon Worker Arbitration Agreement Is for All Chain Locations

Los Angeles-based market chain Erewhon can force its former employee into arbitration with stores across the region based on his agreement with a certain location, even though the locations he alleges are joint employers didn’t sign his employment contract, a California appeals panel ruled.

Joint employer claims rely enough on a worker’s employment contract that the worker can’t dodge the agreement’s arbitration requirements when suing non-signatories they allege are joint employers, judges in the California Court of Appeals, Second District found in a Tuesday published opinion.

The worker, Edgar Gonzalez, doesn’t dispute that the arbitration agreement he signed with ...