The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has agreed to pay $3.6 million and to rescind its alleged “blanket ban” on job applicants with prior drug convictions in order to end a class action alleging the hiring policy violated state and federal law. The suit was brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FRCA) accusing the transportation authority of wrongly discriminating against job applicants with criminal records.

The plaintiffs, former unsuccessful SEPTA job applicants, said SEPTA has agreed to concessions such as implementing hiring changes under the guidance of a human resources consultant.

The transportation authority will also prioritize hiring roughly 300 proposed class members who were rejected for jobs such as bus operators and mechanics due to their criminal convictions, which allegedly violated Pennsylvania’s Criminal History Record Information Act, or CHRIA. The deal will also see SEPTA make monetary payouts to a separate class of roughly 1,200 people who have claims under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act but not the CHRIA.

Does your employer have hiring policies that violate the laws that pertain to background checks such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act or the Criminal History Record Information? To find out, contact us at Burnham Douglass Law Group, www.burnhamdouglass.com or 856-751-5505