"Applebee's franchiser sued for blocking discrimination charges, EEOC says", 23 Sep 2014

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC] has sued Doherty Enterprises Inc. for blocking new hires from filing discrimination charges...A complaint from the federal agency said the company has made workers sign a mandatory arbitration agreement as a condition of employment since May 2013. The agreement...meant discrimination charges would have to be settled outside of court. "When an employer forces all complaints about employment discrimination into confidential arbitration, it shields itself from federal oversight of its employment practices. This practice violates the law ..." EEOC Regional Attorney Robert E. Weisberg said in a news release...Doherty Enterprises did not respond to our request for comment.[Also refers to Applebee's International, Panera Bread]