Protecting Unionized Employees Against Discrimination: The Fourth Circuit\u27s Misinterpretation of Supreme Court Precedent

This article will first review the Supreme Court\u27s arbitration jurisprudence, concentrating on labor and employment law cases. Next, the article will analyze the cases involving arbitration under collective bargaining agreements decided by the courts of appeals subsequent to Gilmer. The article will then evaluate the two different approaches of the circuit courts in light of the law relating to collective bargaining and union representation. Finally, the article will review alternative methods of protecting employee rights to determine whether unions can preserve employees\u27 statutory rights under the rule of the Fourth Circuit. The article concludes that the Supreme Court should reverse the Fourth Circuit in order to effectuate the purposes of both national labor policy and antidiscrimination law