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In 2024, Delta Airlines transported more than 400 million po…

In 2024, Delta Airlines transported more than 400 million pounds of passenger, commercial, and mail cargo. To move that cargo, Delta employs “ramp agents,” who physically load and unload cargo. It also employs “ramp supervisors,” who train and supervise teams of ramp agents. Frequently, ramp supervisors step in to load and unload cargo alongside ramp agents. Lawrence Freeman is a ramp supervisor for Delta at Los Angeles International Airport. Freeman came to believe that Delta was failing to pay overtime wages to him and other ramp supervisors, who regularly had to assist ramp agents and therefore work extended shifts. Freeman brought a class action against Delta. In response, Delta sought to require Freeman to arbitrate his claim under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), passed by Congress to remedy disputes arising out of contracts, maritime transactions, or commerce among the States or with foreign nations. Specifically, Delta invoked FAA §7, which mandates that any claim arising from “employment contracts of seamen, railroad employees, or any other class of workers engaged in interstate commerce” must be submitted to binding arbitration. Freeman has now filed an action in U.S. District Court, challenging Congress’s authority to enact the FAA. Analyze whether Freeman’s challenge will be successful.