My employer has an arbitration agreement. What does that mean and can I still sue my employer?

Many employers require you to sign an arbitration agreement or have one in their employment manual. As a general rule these agreements require that if you have a claim you must go to a third party (arbitrator) instead of going to court. These agreements are generally legal and binding but there are exceptions to this general rule and in some cases you may be able to avoid these arbitration agreements. You have the right and generally need a lawyer to represent you in your claim even if you have an arbitration agreement. An arbitration agreement is not the end of your claim, it simply requires you to bring your claim in a different forum than a lawsuit.