![]() ![]() It therefore follows that they are transportation workers whose contracts of employment are exempted from the Arbitration Act. Airplane cargo loaders, as a class, are engaged in that commerce, in much the way that seamen and railroad employees were, and Saxon and the ramp supervisors are members of that class. The act of loading cargo onto a vehicle to be transported interstate is itself commerce, as that term was understood at the time of the Arbitration Act's enactment in 1925. Saxon appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, which reversed the district court's decision upon finding that Saxon was a transportation worker for purposes of the exemption to the FAA. The court further stated that the while the exact definition of transportation workers is unclear, the "linchpin for classification as a 'transportation worker' under Circuit City is actual transportation, not merely handling goods." Because Saxon was not involved in the actual interstate transportation of cargo, the district court found Saxon did not fall under the FAA exemption to arbitration and granted Southwest Airlines' motion to dismiss her suit. Adams (2001) limited the FAA exemption to a class of transportation workers who are actually engaged in the movement of goods in interstate commerce. Supreme Court in Circuit City Stores, Inc. In considering Saxon's argument, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois noted that the U.S. While Saxon admitted to having signed an arbitration agreement with Southwest as a condition of her employment, she argued that the agreement was unenforceable because as a ramp supervisor she fell within the exemption to arbitration set out in the FAA for "seamen, railroad employees, or any other class of workers engaged in foreign or interstate commerce." After Saxon brought a lawsuit against the airline, Southwest moved to dismiss the suit and invoked the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) to require Saxon to resolve the dispute through binding arbitration rather than litigation. In this role, she managed and assisted other Southwest employees with loading and unloading airplane cargo. ![]() Latrice Saxon worked for Southwest Airlines as a ramp supervisor. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois' ruling. October 28, 2020: The 7th Circuit reversed the U.S.August 27, 2021: The petitioner, Southwest Airlines, appealed to the U.S.Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit's ruling. The following timeline details key events in this case: Click here to learn more about the case's background. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit disagreed and reversed the district court's ruling. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted Southwest Airlines' motion to dismiss, finding that Saxon did not meet the requirements of being a transportation worker for purposes of the exemption to the FAA. ![]() Saxon argued that the arbitration agreement she signed was unenforceable because as a ramp supervisor whose job included loading and unloading airplane cargo, she fell under an exemption to the FAA for transportation workers engaged in the movement of goods in interstate commerce. Southwest moved to dismiss the suit because Saxon had signed an arbitration agreement and the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) favored the settlement of disputes through arbitration.
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