The Seattle Office of Labor Standards OLS has teamed up with Pioneer Human Services, a nonprofit organization that serves justice-involved individuals and those in recovery in need of treatment, housing, job skills training and employment, to provide the first Fair Chance Employment Ordinance (FCE) training for formerly incarcerated women to educate them about their labor rights, and to support their reentry into the workforce.
“The Fair Chance Employment Ordinance is in place to give people with criminal records a second chance. It helps remove work barriers and increase opportunities to find and hold jobs,” said OLS Director Martin S. Garfinkel. “Ultimately FCE strengthens our community by reducing both recidivism and racial disparity.”
Among other things, FCE:
* prohibits job ads that exclude applicants with criminal records
* requires a good faith, legitimate business reason to deny a job based on an individual’s criminal record
* directs employers to give applicants and employees the chance to explain or correct criminal records
“Having that box that asks about criminal histories removed from all job applications in the city has been a game changer for the people we serve,” adds Karen Lee, CEO of Pioneer Human Services. “They no longer have to worry about their application being rejected out of hand. It levels the playing field and allows them to be judged for their skills and abilities rather than by a past mistake.”
“We would like to thank our partners at the Office of Labor Standards. The road to reentry after incarceration is a difficult one and filled with many challenges when seeking employment,” said Nicholas Moreau, Assistant Director of Pioneer’s Fellowship House residential reentry center. “With the aid of the trainers from the Office of Labor Standards, we have been able to provide the tools to instill confidence in our residents.”
Since 2017, OLS has conducted five labor standards trainings with a focus on FCE at Pioneer’s offices in Seattle. OLS has investigated and substantiated allegations of FCE violations by ten Seattle employers, assessing nearly $4,000 in fines and penalties. Nine FCE investigations are currently underway.
