End abuses by government defense contractors!

Tomorrow, Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota will stand up to big corporate defense contractors on behalf of victims of discrimination and assault, and so can you.

Call your senators today!

You may remember the terrible story of Jamie Leigh Jones, who testified before Congress about how she was gang raped by her co-workers in Iraq while working for a Halliburton subsidiary. Afterwards, she was confined to a shipping container and warned that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she’d be fired. Then when she tried to hold the perpetrators accountable in court, Halliburton/KBR insisted she take her claim to a private arbitrator – because a forced arbitration clause was buried in the fine print of her employment contract.

No more! Tomorrow, the Senate will vote on an amendment offered by Sen. Franken, S.A. 2588, to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act to stop defense contractors from forcing employees with sexual assault and discrimination claims into arbitration.

No one — especially a victim of a heinous, violent crime — should be denied access to a judge and jury because of a binding mandatory arbitration clause in a contract. Please help us pass this important amendment to end this abuse of power by government defense contractors!

Jamie has waited years for her day in court. The Fifth Circuit finally ruled that some of her claims could proceed in court — something many other circuits have not done. However, now Halliburton/KBR is considering an appeal. So she continues to wait. Meanwhile, there are countless others like her who remain trapped in arbitration, unable to hold their employers accountable.

Please call today to urge your senators to vote tomorrow for the Franken amendment tomorrow! You’ll find instructions and talking points on our Web site. Please don’t forget to let us know what you hear!