School bus driver sues after his city transit job application is rejected over long-ago conviction
Frank Long was already working as a school bus driver in 2014 when a job offer he had gotten to drive a SEPTA bus in the Philadelphia area was rescinded.
The problem was two 1997 drug-related convictions, Philly.com reported.
Now the 56-year-old is suing the transit agency, contending that its misuse of criminal background information violates federal employment law. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court, seeks class-action status on behalf of all applicants rejected for SEPTA jobs because of background-check information that was allegedly improperly obtained or analyzed.
“I’ve lived in Philadelphia practically all my life and have experience doing exactly the kind of work SEPTA was hiring for,” Long said in a written statement provided by his lawyer, Ryan Allen Hancock of Willig, Williams & Davidson. “I care about my community and am not a threat to anyone. This job would make a real difference in my life.”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “EEOC Guidance Emphasizes Possible Bias in Blanket Bans of Job Applicants with Criminal Pasts”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Blanket bans on renting to those convicted of a crime violate Fair Housing Act, feds tell landlords”
