Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

Employment-related lawsuits are taxing the judicial system beyond its limits. In some cases, plaintiffs are waiting years to be heard. In an attempt to ease this pressure, a growing list of state laws and regulations has made employer initiation of alternative dispute resolution increasingly desirable and a virtual necessity. Ultimately the courts will decide the precise extent to which an employer may hold the employee to an arbitrator's award-or to an employer-mandated obligation to submit disputes to arbitration.