Blogs

INDUSTRY NEWS

Philadelphia regional transportation authority sued over background checks

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), the nation’s sixth-largest public transportation system, has been accused of violating federal and state employment laws after it turned away an applicant over a 20-year-old drug conviction.

The lawsuit was filed by a plaintiff who was offered a position with SEPTA only to have the offer rescinded after the company ran a background check. The check uncovered a 1997 conviction for possession and manufacture of a controlled substance.

According to the lawsuit, SEPTA routinely misuses criminal history information to disqualify applicants from employment opportunities without considering the timeframe in which the crimes occurred and their relevancy to positions being sought – a practice which the suit claims violates Pennsylvania’s Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA).

The suit comes on the heels of the introduction of pending state legislation that would allow for the sealing of nonviolent misdemeanor records. More information on that legislation can be found here.

Additionally, the suit claims that SEPTA violated the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act by not providing clear and conspicuous standalone disclosure forms indicating that the transportation authority would be obtaining consumer reports on applicants for employment purposes.

The plaintiff and his attorney are seeking class-action status for the suit. They class would seek to cover all potential SEPTA employees who were denied employment with the transportation authority based on improperly obtained and analyzed background checks.

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal, 4/27/2016

Sending...
Thank you for your interest in Business Information Group. We have received your message and will contact you in one business day or less.
Something went wrong.Try again
You have exceeded the number of attempts to submit this form. As a result, your IP address has been temporarily blocked.
Something went wrong.Try again

Get In Touch

Send a Message *fields required

What are your Interests?optional

Even our RFP PROCESS is state-of-the-art.

Find out why
RFP Kit

What Our Clients Are Saying

The service you provide at Truescreen has been the best I have ever seen in comparison to other vendors I have worked with in the past! You guys rock!

Talent Acquisition Specialist
Retail Store Chain

I am very impressed with your company’s customer service, and the Truescreen portal seems to be an intuitive, user-friendly design.

Learning Coordinator
Public College

Our team loves working with Truescreen and the expedient, thorough service and results we get from you.

Human Resources Executive
Large Hotel Chain

I appreciate all your hard work ensuring that individuals are cleared through our processes. Truescreen makes my job so much easier and less stressful.

Human Resources Analyst
Large Academic Institution

You are leaving Truescreen.com

Ok, Continue Cancel

×
×