Kenneth Downer v. Royal Caribbean Cruises, LTD.

Appellants are eight individuals who work or worked as stateroom attendants (“Attendants”) aboard cruise ships operated by Appellee Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. In this putative class action, the Attendants allege Royal Caribbean unlawfully withheld or delayed paying wages in violation of the Seamen Wage Act, 46 U.S.C. § 10313 (“Wage Act”). When Royal Caribbean sought to enforce the mandatory arbitration provisions in the employment and collective bargaining agreements between the Attendants and Royal Caribbean, the Attendants raised an affirmative defense: They argued that because the…