“LA City Hall panel backs fining companies for asking applicants about past crimes”

“Businesses that ask a job applicant about his or her criminal history during the hiring process could be fined and forced to pay the applicant up to $500 under a new law being considered by city leaders. A Los Angeles City Council committee backed a plan Tuesday to penalize businesses that weed out applicants based…

EEOC ISSUES PUBLICATIONS ON RIGHTS OF JOB APPLICANTS, EMPLOYEES WITH HIV

“The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued two documents addressing workplace rights for individuals with HIV infection under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), including the right to be free from employment discrimination and harassment, and the right to reasonable accommodations in the workplace. The White House has issued a (Archived) National…

OBAMA SUPPORTS “BAN THE BOX” FOR FEDERAL JOB APPLICATIONS

“President Obama said Monday he was directing federal agencies to “ban the box” in their hiring decisions, prohibiting them from asking prospective government employees about their criminal histories on job applications. Speaking at Rutgers University in Newark, N.J., where he highlighted programs meant to ease the reentry of former inmates into society, Obama said the federal government “should not use criminal…

BEST PRACTICES FOR COMPLYING WITH NEW YORK CITY FAIR CHANCE ACT

“Given the imminent effective date of New York City’s Fair Chance Act, employers may be wondering what they need to do to comply with the law.  As many employers are aware, effective October 27, 2015, the Fair Chance Act amends the New York City Human Rights Law to prohibit most employers from inquiring about criminal…

BMW SETTLES EEOC CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK SUIT FOR 1.6 MILLION

“BMW Manufacturing Co. L.L.C. will pay $1.6 million to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit that charged it was liable for race discrimination in connection with its former criminal background checks policy, which allegedly disproportionately affected African-Americans, the agency said Tuesday. The 2013 lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Spartanburg, North Carolina,…

UBER BACKGROUND CHECKS MISSED CRIMINAL RECORDS

“The background-check service that ride-hailing company Uber uses to screen potential drivers did not flag the criminal records of 25 drivers who gave thousands of rides to customers in Los Angeles and San Francisco, prosecutors said Wednesday. The findings were made public in an amendment to a consumer protection lawsuit filed last year by the district attorneys…

TRUCKING FIRM TO PAY UP IN EEOC PRE-EMNPLOYMENT EXAM CASE

“An Indianapolis trucking firm has agreed to pay $200,000 to settle an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability discrimination case, in which it was charged with requiring pre-employment medical exams. The EEOC said Tuesday that Indianapolis-based Celadon Trucking Services Inc. violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by subjecting applicants to medical exams before making a conditional…

HOUSE APPROVES TRADE-PROMOTION AUTHORITY FOR OBAMA IN ANTICIPATION OF THE TPP

“The House on Thursday took the first step toward resuscitating the White House’s trade agenda by passing legislation granting President Obama fast-track authority. The bill now goes to the Senate, where the White House and GOP leaders are seeking to strike a deal with pro-trade Democrats. The House vote was 218-208, with 28 Democrats voting for it.…

TSA BACKGROUND CHECKS PASS 73 PEOPLE WITH POSSIBLE TERRORIST TIES

“ Background checks by the Transportation Security Administration cleared 73 people for access to secure airport areas even though their names were on a federal database of possible terrorists, a senior official told a Senate committee Tuesday. The latest security lapse came to light as John Roth, the inspector general at the Department of Homeland Security,…