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Remarks: Joe Biden Signs a Law Ending Forced Arbitration for Sexual Crimes - March 3, 2022
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Joe Biden Person
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Kamala Harris Person
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Unidentified Person
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:00:00-00:00:08 (9 sec)
"Good afternoon everyone. Good afternoon. Please have a seat. Good afternoon. [Applause]"
1
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:00:08-00:00:25 (17 sec)
"President Joe Biden, members of Congress, and my fellow Americans: Today, we are gathered to celebrate the passage of a law that will make our nation's workplaces more safe and more just."
2
Kamala Harris
Very Negative
00:00:25-00:00:55 (30 sec)
"Forced arbitration silences survivors of sexual assault and harassment. It shields predators instead of holding them accountable and gives corporations a powerful tool to hide abuse and misconduct. And it compels the people of our nation -- and most often the women of our nation -- to sign away one of their most fundamental rights: the right to seek justice in court."
3
Kamala Harris
Very Negative
00:00:55-00:01:33 (38 sec)
"The legislation the President will sign today will end forced arbitration in all cases of sexual abuse. [Applause] And -- and almost equally as important, it will apply retroactively -- [applause] -- invalidating every one of these agreements, no matter when they were entered into."
4
Kamala Harris
Neutral
00:01:33-00:01:40 (6 sec)
"And as many of you know, it has been a long road to get to today."
5
Kamala Harris
Neutral
00:01:40-00:01:54 (14 sec)
"I co-sponsored this legislation five years ago when I was a senator. And we would not have reached this very moment were it not for a bipartisan group of legislators, many of whom are here today."
6
Kamala Harris
Leans Negative
00:01:54-00:02:07 (13 sec)
"These leaders -- they saw clearly: This is not a partisan issue. This is not about Republicans or Democrats. This is about right and wrong."
7
Kamala Harris
Very Negative
00:02:07-00:02:33 (26 sec)
"As I think about the future, our administration will work with Congress on broader forced arbitration legislation to -- [applause]. And we will do that to also protect the rights of workers in cases of wage theft, racial discrimination, and unfair labor practices. [Applause]"
8
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:02:33-00:03:09 (36 sec)
"So, I will conclude today by thanking all of the people who are here -- and all that your represent to make this day possible -- and, in particular, all the survivors and their allies who spoke out and demanded change. [Applause] Thank you for your courage and your resilience and for your leadership."
9
Kamala Harris
Positive
00:03:09-00:03:20 (11 sec)
"And now I will now welcome to the podium a woman who was instrumental in the passage of this law: Gretchen Carlson. [Applause]"
10
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:03:20-00:03:32 (12 sec)
"Well, Gretchen, thank you. And are they your two children? Stand up so everybody can see you. [Applause]"
11
Joe Biden
Neutral
00:03:32-00:03:36 (4 sec)
"Who's that guy in front of you? [Laughter] Is that Dad?"
12
Joe Biden
Leans Positive
00:03:36-00:03:43 (7 sec)
"Just remember, moms -- you get along with; you can work it out. But dads are hard to raise. Be patient with us, okay? [Laughter]"
13
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:03:43-00:04:09 (25 sec)
"Well, look, Gretchen, thank you very much. You know, you went from speaking to millions to speaking for millions and speaking for a movement. You remind us that even a powerful job didn't protect you from having to contend -- you're over on this side, I'm sorry -- for having to contend with so much that you had to face."
14
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:04:09-00:04:37 (28 sec)
"And to all the other courageous survivors -- there's four here today. Would you all stand up? [Applause] You're the survivors who led this historic reform. And thank you, thank you, thank you, on behalf of my daughter, my granddaughters, all my -- all my family. Thank you so very much."
15
Joe Biden
Negative
00:04:37-00:04:48 (11 sec)
"Between half and three quarters of all women report that they have faced some form of sexual harassment in the workplace. And too often, they're denied a voice and fair chance to do anything about it."
16
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:04:48-00:04:57 (9 sec)
"Today we send a clear and strong message that we stand with you for safety, dignity, and for justice."
17
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:04:57-00:05:21 (24 sec)
"In my State of the Union, I said I disagreed with the notion that we can't work together on important things. Last year, I signed 80 bipartisan bills into law -- from preventing government shutdowns to reforming the military justice system, as Kirsten knows very well, on a whole range of issues relating to how women are treated."
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Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:05:21-00:05:42 (21 sec)
"Today, I'm proud to sign another bipartisan bill into law. And I want to thank the many champions of this bill: the Vice President; Representative and old friend Cheri Bustos -- good to see you, Cheri; and Ken Buck, Morgan Griffith, Pramila Jayapal. Where are you? Where is she?"
19
Unidentified
Neutral
00:05:42-00:05:43 (1 sec)
"She's right over here."
20
Kamala Harris
Neutral
00:05:43-00:05:44 (1 sec)
"On the right."
21
Joe Biden
Positive
00:05:44-00:05:46 (2 sec)
"There you are. Good to see you."
22
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:05:46-00:05:57 (12 sec)
"And Senators Kirsten Gillibrand -- and Lindsey Graham [Laughter] By the way, Lindsey used to be a really close friend. I'm going to work on it again. [Laughter]"
23
Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:05:57-00:06:01 (4 sec)
"And Dick Durbin and -- I'm leaving all -- so many people out."
24
Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:06:01-00:06:19 (18 sec)
"But, look, for the folks at home, here's what this law is going to do. Time and again, women and sometimes men are forced and face sexual harassment and assault on the job. And it took that courageous step to reporting what had happened."
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Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:06:19-00:06:34 (15 sec)
"And some of them, when they did, they found out that reporting harassment behavior triggered a part of an employment contract they had never seen -- they didn't even know existed -- that they were powerless to change -- a mechanism called "forced arbitration.""
26
Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:06:34-00:06:48 (14 sec)
"Forced arbitration isn't court. In fact, forced arbitration prevents survivors from going to court. And under forced arbitration, proceedings are conducted in secret, often by arbitrators selected and paid for by the employer."
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Joe Biden
Neutral
00:06:48-00:06:59 (11 sec)
"And the outcomes of the arbitration are usually hidden from the public and the employees and coworkers, and they usually can't even -- and they can't be appealed or can't be overturned."
28
Joe Biden
Somewhat Negative
00:06:59-00:07:16 (18 sec)
"In some arbitration clauses, you can't even acknowledge that you're bringing the claim. And parenthetically, employees can still forbid -- can still forbid -- employers can still forbid people from talking about what happened to them through nondisclosure clauses. And I think that should be changed as well, but that's another day. [Applause]"
29
Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:07:16-00:07:42 (25 sec)
"And when it comes to sexual harassment and assault, forced arbitration shielded perpetrators, silenced survivors, and enabled employers to sweep episodes of sexual assault and harassment under the rug. And it kept survivors from knowing if others have experienced the same thing, in the same workplace, at the hands of the same person."
30
Joe Biden
Positive
00:07:42-00:07:52 (10 sec)
"And, yes, there will be cases where victims want their claims resolved in private. But some survivors will want their day in court. And that should be their choice and nobody else's choice. [Applause]"
31
Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:07:52-00:08:17 (25 sec)
"I know there's discussion in Congress about whether forced arbitration clauses should also be banned for other kinds of employment disputes beyond sexual harassment and assault. I think it's all wrong and they should be banned. But that doesn't cover here. [Applause]"
32
Joe Biden
Slightly Positive
00:08:17-00:08:26 (9 sec)
"Giving the employer absolute power to decide isn't how justice is supposed to work. It should be the choice of the employee about whether they want to go to court or not."
33
Joe Biden
Neutral
00:08:26-00:08:39 (13 sec)
"I've made clear that -- my belief that is no worker should have to make a commitment before any dispute has arisen to give their -- up their access to justice in the courts when their rights -- when they believe their right has been violated."
34
Joe Biden
Slightly Negative
00:08:39-00:08:53 (14 sec)
"Sixty million American workers are bound by forced arbitration clauses that were included in the fine print of their contracts. And many don't even know they exist. You might have signed one without knowing it."
35
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:08:53-00:09:06 (13 sec)
"I strongly believe no worker should have to make such a commitment. And that's why I support legislation in the House of Representatives that's going to consider com- -- in the coming weeks that would prohibit mandatory arbitration of all types of employment disputes. [Applause]"
36
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:09:06-00:09:35 (29 sec)
"But look -- but today marks an important step in an effort to ban mandatory pre-dispute arbitration clauses that takes the power to choose how to pursue justice away from the worker. And I'm glad that there was a broad bipartisan support and unanimity in the United States Senate that we should never be forced -- there should never be a forced arbitration clause for sexual harassment and/or assault."
37
Joe Biden
Slightly Negative
00:09:35-00:09:49 (15 sec)
"And, folks, this is, I think, a momentous day for justice and fairness in the workplace. And for those who experience sexual harassment or assault, you're going to have the right today that you did not have yesterday. And that's good news."
38
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:09:49-00:10:09 (20 sec)
"And by the way, I'd also argue that it is also good for the employers, as you mentioned. And I think it is good for the employers. If a worker experiences sexual assault or harassment, it's in the -- it's in the employer's best interest to address it -- many times, an employer may not know -- and to make sure it never happens again."
39
Joe Biden
Neutral
00:10:09-00:10:22 (13 sec)
"Employers can't successfully compete for the best workers if their workplace practices are unsafe and unjust. Employers, it puts you on the right side of the workers. And as Gretchen said, it puts you on the right side of history."
40
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:10:22-00:10:40 (17 sec)
"And so, on behalf of the workers of today, on behalf of my daughter, on behalf of my granddaughters and grandchildren, and with gratitude for the bravery of so many women who, by speaking out, have made the workplace fairer and safer for others, I'm now going to step over here and sign this bill."
41
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:10:40-00:11:06 (26 sec)
"And by the way, it's my hope that, with the support of all the members of Congress here, I look forward to signing legislation to strengthen and renew the Violence Against Women Act -- [applause] -- which I -- which I first wrote and championed three decades ago."
42
Joe Biden
Neutral
00:11:06-00:11:20 (14 sec)
"So, folks, it's time to get that passed, too."
43
Joe Biden
Neutral
00:11:20-00:12:00 (40 sec)
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to walk over and sign this legislation."
44
Joe Biden
Neutral
00:12:00-00:12:00 ( sec)
"[The bill is signed]"
45
Joe Biden
Neutral
00:12:00-00:12:02 (2 sec)
"It's now the law. [Applause]"
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