(The International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued the following on July 12)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Teamsters Union has joined the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), Rainbow PUSH, the National Workrights Institute, the Legal Action Center and the National Employment Law Project to petition the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to protect workers by enforcing rules that require employers to provide proper notice and obtain consent before subjecting employees to criminal background checks.
This would correct a major loophole in the 2006 recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Transportation (DOT) that rail carriers should secure their properties.
The recommendation by DHS and DOT has been broadly interpreted by the rail carriers, leading to potential and current rail employees enduring criminal background checks without the possibility of an appeal or the chance to correct erroneous errors.
Earlier this year, officials from the Teamsters Union testified before a congressional subcommittee on behalf of Chicago rail workers who were fired by their employer over background checks.
“Although there is no government mandate, railroads are requiring their rail terminal contractors to screen employees by utilizing a criminal history record check,” said Santos Marinez, a trustee of Local 705 in Chicago. “The fact than an individual may have done his time, paid his debt to society and righted his life receives little or no consideration.”
The petition to the FTC that the Teamsters Union and other groups signed on to is the first step in a broader effort to defend workers’ rights by strengthening enforcement of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).