It appears so, but employers should still be cautious.
Just before the holidays in December, the Missouri Supreme Court
issued a ruling that may allow employers to use initial at-will
employment as a basis to support enforceable arbitration
agreements.
The court's decision, in Soars v. Easter Seals Midwest, signals a
potential easing of the judicial hostility that had developed in
Missouri toward employment arbitration agreements.
But before we get to what the court did, a little background is
needed.
Hard line on employment arbitration agreements
More than a decade ago, Missouri's appellate court held that
continued at-will employment would not support an
employment arbitration agreement in which the employee was required
to arbitrate while the employer was not. The ruling was significant
because it departed from decisions holding that continued at-will
employment -- and the value that the employer provides to the
employee as a result -- was sufficient
