Earlier today, a group of 27 senators--26 Democrats plus Bernie Sanders--wrote to President Obama urging him to block federal agencies and contractors from asking job applicants about prior criminal convictions.
The "box" in the title of this diary refers to the checkbox on many job applications that asks applicants about their criminal records.
When people get out of prison, employment is key to successful reintegration into the community; however, such questions on job applications make it difficult for them to find jobs. Moreover, asking that question on an initial application runs afoul of the intent of Equal Opportunity Commission's past directives:
The Equal Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) ruling during the 1980s told employers they could refuse to hire former offenders as long as they promised to devote somber thought to the issue. The ruling takes employers’ word of honor that they’ll consider the incarcerated person’s offense(s), time elapsed since conviction and the penance they’ve served.
Modest as it is, many employers don’t even pretend to honor the EEOC’s request. The National Employment Law Project compiled hundreds of job postings that say things like “Must have no previous misdemeanors or felonies.” Such postings clearly violate EEOC’s good faith.
In the letter, the 27 senators urged the president, "We ask you to require federal contractors and agencies to refrain from asking job applicants about prior convictions until later in the hiring process...This policy would eliminate unnecessary barriers to employment for all job seekers and would give individuals re-entering the workforce the opportunity to apply for work based on their current merits rather than past wrong-doings."
Here are the 27 senators who signed:
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Tom Carper (D-DE)
Chris Coons (D-DE)
Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Ed Markey (D-MA)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Chris Murphy (D-CT)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Brian Schatz (D-HI)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
If you see your senator on the list, you should thank him/her. If your senator isn't on the list, then he/she deserves a call from you.