As a condition of getting and keeping their jobs, millions of employees in the United States have signed agreements to take any disputes with their employers to arbitration rather than court. Typically, the agreements also prohibit the arbitrator from consolidating similar claims.

Why employers like the agreements should be obvious: they pre-empt court challenges on workplace disputes and make it harder for employees to join forces to demand better treatment. As for why employees sign, they have no choice: their jobs require it.

The good news is that this is not the end of the story.

In a recent ruling, the National Labor Relations Board concluded that employees’ federal right to engage in concerted action trumps any arbitration agreement that bars group claims. It was an impressive defense of employee rights. Employers can still require arbitration, but they must also offer ways for employees to bring collective claims, either in arbitration or in court.

Business lobbyists, including the Chamber of Commerce, have denounced the ruling. They say it is an invitation to vast class action lawsuits on issues that could be resolved out of court. That is an exaggeration, intended to deny employees the right — and the power — that comes from jointly pressing their concerns.