J.B. Hunt settled a discrimination suit with the EEOC last week.
In 2009, an African-American man with a criminal record applied for a driving position at J.B. Hunt Transport in San Bernardino , California but was denied the job because of his past criminal conviction.
The EEOC reviewed J.B. Hunt’s hiring policy regarding convicts and found the company applies a “blanket prohibition” on the handling of applicants with criminal records. The EEOC says that in doing so, J.B. Hunt violated government guidelines.
J.B. Hunt settled with the EEOC and agreed to “revise if necessary and provide training concerning its hiring and selection policies and practices.”
The EEOC says that employers must evaluate the nature and weight of an offense, including the time that has passed since the conviction and the type of job the applicant is seeking before discarding the applicant.
“We commend J.B. Hunt for correcting its policy on criminal convictions,” said EEOC’s Los Angeles District Director Olophius Perry, “and for taking measures toward ensuring equal employment opportunities for all workers.”
J.B. Hunt also settled privately with the man.