Along with other members of the Givemebackmyrights.org campaign, U.S. PIRG joined U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) as they introduced the Arbitration Fairness Act today. The bill amends the Federal Arbitration Act to make mandatory, binding pre-dispute agreements to arbitrate employment, consumer, franchise, or civil rights disputes unenforceable. Five years ago, Congress said that car manufacturers could not force car dealers into arbitration. The Feingold-Johnson bill simply extends that reasonable protection to consumers, employees not subject to collective bargaining, small farmers and franchisees. Members of all these groups have been routinely forced to sign away their right to a day in court and instead forced to accept arbitration as the only way to resolve any dispute. This Hobson's choice of agreeing to expensive, secret, one-sided corporate-controlled arbitration occurs in nearly every "contract of adhesion" including when you sign up for health insurance, credit cards, bank accounts, pet boarding kennels, health clubs, payday loans, car purchases, jobs or virtually any other "take-it-or-leave-it" transaction. If a powerful corporation sits on one side of the table and a consumer, prospective employee or small farmer or franchisee sits on the other, arbitration is forced on them. It's time for a change.