Michael Hiltzik: DoorDash thought it was smart to force workers to arbitrate, but now faces millions in fees

It's not surprising why employers often require their workers to take wage and workplace complaints to arbitration instead of court: The big companies almost always win.

Here's a case involving the gig economy company DoorDash that turns that custom on its head. The company, facing a torrent of more than 5,800 arbitration claims filed by its workers, is insisting they go to court instead.

And the workers, who customarily try to get their cases heard in court instead of an arbitrator, have moved to force DoorDash to arbitrate.

The company's goal is to avoid having to pay arbitration fees of $12 million to $20 million. But DoorDash may have no choice, since a federal judge in San Francisco just denied its motion to avert arbitration.

The workers maintain that DoorDash