# 119-s-5190: Restoring Justice for Workers Act

119-s-5190, Restoring Justice for Workers Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-14).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5190
- As of: 2026-08-14
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5190
- Congress: 119
- Title: Restoring Justice for Workers Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA)
- Cosponsors: 17
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-14

## Summary

**Bans mandatory pre-dispute arbitration for workplace disputes.** It would also strengthen workers' ability to pursue collective claims, require postdispute arbitration to be voluntary and informed, and amend the National Labor Relations Act to bar agreements that interfere with concerted activity. - Workers: Expands who is covered by calling workers both employees and independent contractors. It protects refusal to arbitrate and preserves the right to join or support class and collective claims. - Employers: Prevents enforcing predispute arbitration clauses for work disputes. If employers seek postdispute arbitration they must give written notice of rights, a clear right to refuse, a final agreement text, a minimum 45-day waiting period, and affirmative written consent. - Enforcement and courts: Creates a new federal chapter on arbitration of work disputes and makes courts, not arbitrators, decide validity. It tolls filing deadlines during the waiting period and creates a private civil action with a 2-year statute of limitations and a 3-year limit for willful violations, with potential attorney's fees and other remedies.

## Cosponsors (17)

- Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME] (I-ME), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV), 2026-08-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More workers covered by the bill: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would treat people labeled as independent contractors as "workers" for these rules. It would cover disputes about pay, hiring, discipline, and class or collective claims. The bill would also explicitly include domestic household workers to the fullest extent allowed by the Cons…
- 45-day wait before arbitration: benefit, medium. If enacted, post-dispute arbitration (or a post-dispute class/collective waiver) would be enforceable only after a plain written disclosure, the final agreement text, and at least a 45-day waiting period. You would have to give affirmative written consent for arbitration. The statute of limitations…
- Ban on forced arbitration and waivers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would make most pre-dispute arbitration agreements invalid. It would also bar pre-dispute promises not to join class, collective, or joint claims. Courts, not arbitrators, would decide whether an arbitration agreement applies. The rule would not change arbitration terms in unio…
- Right to sue for arbitration retaliation: benefit, medium. If enacted, you could sue in federal court if your employer retaliates for refusing to enter an arbitration agreement. You must file within 2 years, or within 3 years for willful violations. A successful plaintiff could recover attorney's fees, litigation costs, and other remedies like compensatory…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025
- 119-s-997: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5190 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5190)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-852)
- [119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2150)
- [119-s-997: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-997)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5190 (as of 2026-08-14).