In Peltier v. Lepage Bakeries Park Street, LLC et al, No. 1:2024cv00452 – Document 15 (D.R.I. 2025), the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island said that the owner of a distribution company was not a transportation worker who is exempt from arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act. After reviewing other cases, the court said that the agreement between the owner of the distribution company was not a contract of employment, and therefore the defendant was allowed to compel arbitration. The court said:
In sum, Mr. Peltier [the plaintiff] has not proffered evidence sufficient for a reasonable factfinder to conclude that he entered into a “contract of employment” with the Defendants. Without evidence of such a contract, Mr. Peltier cannot invoke § 1’s transportation worker exemption to avoid his agreement to arbitrate his misclassification and wage claims against the Defendants under the FAA.