California Worker Arbitration Clash Gets Top U.S. Court Review

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider buttressing the power of businesses to funnel employee disputes into individual arbitration proceedings, agreeing to hear a case over a California law that authorizes workers to press group suits.

The justices said Wednesday they will hear an appeal from Viking River Cruises Inc., which contends California courts are letting people circumvent earlier Supreme Court rulings that require arbitration agreements to be honored even if they preclude class actions. Business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are backing the appeal.

The disputed law, the California Private Attorneys General Act, lets employees file ...