story:
  he talked about how there was a employer->contractor->employee chain
  employer->employee NO forced arbitration agreement
  contractor->employee YES forced arbitration agreement
  employee (and who?) sues employer+contractor
  contractor invokes clause..
  drop contractor from suit
  EMPLOYER tries to invoke arbitration - how?
  claims that the contractor->employee clause was somehow meant to apply to them

intro: so, many companies include clauses in their employment contracts that force employees to use a company-mandated arbitration panel, limiting the employees right to recourse via lawsuits. this both saves companies money and also has a higher likelihood of their victory. it's a tactic which puts power in the hands of the business and takes it away from working people.

[something on google ending forced arbitration? tanuja?]

But even those companies which don't have enforcing clauses might have the ability to take advantage of forced arbitration agreements in the case of contractors.

chris, would you mind introducing yourself and letting us know how you're involved?

so you were telling us about a scenario where some contracting employees were trying to obtain a lawsuit against their employer, even though they had no forced arbitration agreement with the employer.  what was the background there?

is this a common loophole? are you aware of other cases? [if no: well it seems like it could be, companies are certainly facing the same pressures and will consider the same options]

it seems intentionally designed to shield the employer. do you think this was an intentional strategy?