AG Wilson joins coalition to protect employees from sexual harassment

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – South Carolina’s attorney general, Alan Wilson, joined a bipartisan coalition comprised of 56 states and territories, Monday, that’s urging Congress to put an end to private, forced arbitration in workplace sexual harassment cases.

“Sexual harassment needs to be rooted out of our society,” Attorney General Wilson said. “There is no place for sexual harassment at any time or in any workplace. These arbitration agreements are not fair to victims of sexual harassment and the secrecy surrounding them can lead to more people being victimized.”

Wilson said too often, employees are required to sign employment contracts with arbitration agreements that require sexual harassment claims be resolved through private arbitration instead of the judicial process. The attorney general argues that the secrecy surrounding these proceedings protects repeat violators, while failing victims.

Wilson’s letter was sent to leaders in the U.S. House and Senate Monday.

Attorneys general from these states, D.C. and territories joined the letter: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.