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Published byBrent William Ray Modified over 9 years ago
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DRIVER SCREENING: A BREAKDOWN OF TWO NEW SOURCES OF LIABILITY 1
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Scott Anderson – VP Safety, Anderson Trucking Service, Inc. Lana Batts – Co-President, Driver iQ David Robinson – Partner, Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary 2
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To hire quality drivers To follow regulatory requirements 3
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No direct supervision Cargo theft liability Violent crimes liability Negligent hiring claims Protect customers Customer requirements 4
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One of four US adults have been arrested or convicted 6.5% have a felony record One in 15 have gone to prison 700,000 individuals are released from prison and millions are cycled through local jails each year 5
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Hard to hire drivers Often not face-to-face Quick turnaround needed 6
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EEOC 2012 Enforcement Guidelines Consideration for arrests and conviction records for hiring Bottom Line – More difficult to eliminate criminals in hiring process 7
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Class Action Cases Recent class action lawsuit against Consumer Reporting Agency for $28 million with 700,000 plaintiffs on regarding stale criminal records Most plaintiffs were truck drivers Recent class action against Kmart for $3 million with 65,000 plaintiffs failure to provide most recent FCRA forms Administration Fines EEOC collected $354 million in fines in administrative process 8
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Recent EEOC Guidance Recent FTC Enforcement Recent Class Action Lawsuits Obama Administration Predilection Rules have not changed, but enforcement has Looking for systemic violations Looking for high profile violations EEOC collected $354 million in fines in administrative process 9
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Using criminal records to screen potential employees is seen as a civil rights issue Discrimination based on criminal record is not in the original 1964 Civil Rights Act…. But since 1969, the EEOC has investigated cases where criminal records were used in a discriminatory way, based on race or national origin 10
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Some employers are unwilling to consider recently incarcerated individuals. Convicted felons tend to be employed at a much lower rate than non-criminals. Current incarceration rates: 1 in 17 white men 1 in 6 Hispanic men 1 in 3 African-American men 11
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Effective April 25, 2012 Represents the EEOC’s interpretation of the law Does not have the force or effect of regulations Intended to provide guidance as to how the EEOC will interpret the law in its investigations and administrative proceedings Office of Federal Contract Compliance applying EEOC guidelines to haulers of government traffic 12
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Recent class action lawsuit for $28 million with 700,000 plaintiffs on same issues Stale records of criminal violations used to deny employment Lack of contemporaneous notice to the applicant Involved mostly truck drivers 13
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Job Description Applications Screening Post Screening 14
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Criminals need not apply No criminal checks unless breaks in employment Reasonable Suspicion Criminal Checks Full criminal checks 15
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Can you state it on the application? EEOC forbids the automatic rejection of the person because he/she checked the box Only disqualifying the honest ex-offender Can you ask on application? EEOC recommends not asking if a person has a criminal record on the application Many states and cities have passed, or are considering “ban the box” legislation Last year’s Congress proposed a federal ban 16
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Criminals need not apply No criminal checks unless breaks in employment Reasonable Suspicion Criminal Checks Full criminal checks 17
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Federal Study 12 months ending 9/30/2009 (US DOJ BJS Federal Justice Statistics 2009) 86,975 offenders (convictions) 67,499 (or 77.6 %) sentenced to incarceration o Of those, 51,639 (or 59.4%) had prior convictions 19,482 (or 22.4% ) were not incarcerated o 9,520 (or 48.9%) probation only (including 6,676 felons) o 2,747 (or 14.1% ) fine only (including 289 felons) o 7,215 (or 37.0%) suspended terms, jail time less than 4 days, deportation, unknown disposition 18
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19 82.4% 16.1% 35.3% 25.0% 4.4%
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Criminals need not apply No criminal checks unless breaks in employment Reasonable Suspicion Criminal Checks Full criminal checks 20
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Remember current incarceration rates: 1 in 17 white men 1 in 6 Hispanic men 1 in 3 African-American men Since1969, the EEOC has investigated cases where criminal records were used in a discriminatory way, based on race or national origin Must be consistent in practice with strict guidelines for recruiters – not just a feeling 21
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Criminals need not apply No criminal checks unless breaks in employment Reasonable Suspicion Criminal Checks Full criminal checks 22
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Product of the internet age Claim to have national scope Quick and cheap Neither accurate nor complete Usually contain disclaimer that they should not be used for hiring purposes Not compliant with FCRA Not recommended by EEOC Beware of Social Media in light of Title VII 23
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None is national No federal information on 94 district courts No information on 10 states Scattered information on the remaining 3,100 counties and 30,000 incorporated towns and cities Not considered current Updated at different times EEOC now questioning whether stand alone database searches are in compliance with these deficiencies 24
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Databases of criminal records that are not official government repositories must only be used as “pointers”; Verify records found official government repositories to ensure accurate, complete and up to date information; Consider requiring a minimum of 2 unique identifiers (such as name and date-of-birth or name and social security number) match the candidate 25
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Audit your criminal background screening process 1.Application Do not ask about arrests If you ask about convictions, consider adding the following language: “A positive answer to this question does not necessarily eliminate you from further consideration” State laws 26
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2. Make your screening process targeted Eliminate any reference to a blanket exclusion Avoid permanent exclusions Be able to show some nexus between the job and the conviction Consider: Job title Essential functions Circumstances under which job is performed Nature and gravity of crimes Relevance of crime to the position 27
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3. Allow for an individual assessment Notice Opportunity to explain or clarify Consideration of additional information Facts surrounding offense or conduct; Number of offenses for which individual convicted; Age at time of conviction or release from prison; Evidence individual performed same type of work, post conviction, with no known incidents of criminal conduct; Length and consistency of employment history before and after offense or conduct; Rehabilitation efforts; and Employment references. 28
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Two areas of concern for motor carriers: 1. The Disclosure and Authorization Form 2. The Adverse Action Protocol 29
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Clear and conspicuous disclosure In writing In a document that consists solely of the disclosure Prior to the report be procured Applicant authorizes in writing * Motor Carrier Exception 30
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IF: The applicant seeks a position as a driver, driver’s helper, loader, or mechanic; and The only communication with the applicant has been by mail, telephone, computer, or similar means – a “Remote Applicant” 31
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THEN: The carrier can provide oral, written, or electronic notice to the Remote Applicant that a background check will be obtained and a summary of the applicant’s rights under the FCRA; and The Remote Applicant can provide oral, written, or electronic consent 32
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Based in whole or in part on report Prior to taking adverse action Must provide (1) copy of report, and (2) description of applicant’s FCRA rights Wait a “reasonable” period of time Send final adverse action notice *Motor Carrier Exception 33
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IF: The applicant seeks a position as a driver, loader, or mechanic; and The only communication with the applicant has been by mail, telephone, computer, or similar means – a “Remote Applicant” 34
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THEN: Motor carrier can send one notice to the Remote Applicant (within 3 business days) stating the following: Adverse action taken Contact information for Consumer Reporting Agency Consumer reporting agency did not make the decision Remote Applicant can obtain a copy of the report 35
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Hall v. Vitran Express, Inc., Case No. 1:09- cv-00800 (N.D. Ohio) class action settled for $2.6 million on August 21, 2011 Hunter, et al. v. First Transit, Inc., Case No. 09-cv-6178 (N.D. Ill.) class action settled for $5.9 million in March, 2011 36
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Kelvin Daniel, et al. v. Swift Transportation Corp., Case No. 2:11-cv-01548- (D.C. Arizona 2011) Class action Pitt v. K-Mart Corp., Case No. 3:11-cv-00697 (E.D. Virginia) class action settled for $3 million on January 28, 2013 60,000 class members 37
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Audit your practices in this area 1.Is your authorization form valid? Stand-alone document Full disclosure that report will be used for employment purposes Clear authorization Continuing authorization Signed by the applicant Does the Motor Carrier Exception apply? 38
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2.Are you complying with the adverse action requirements? Train your personnel Use a pre-adverse action letter Implement a waiting period Use a final adverse action letter Does the Motor Carrier Exception apply? Use the updated Summary of Rights under the FCRA form (1/1/13) 39
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1. The game has changed -- Review all policies and procedures carefully 2. Review all employment applications 3. Identify essential job requirements 4. Identify qualifying convictions 5. Verify criminal convictions from databases 6. Use a valid FCRA Disclosure and Authorization Form 7. Allow for EEOC’s individual assessments 8. Allow for FCRA’s post adverse action notices 9. Maintain records
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