Guest AuthorWhen small business owners like me commit to fair hiring, it means real opportunities for people with criminal records. People of all backgrounds deserve a fair chance at good paying careers that allow them to provide for their families and invest their earnings back into the local economy. That is why I joined the Main Street Alliance of Florida’s work to remove the criminal conviction question from applications for employment with cities and contractors across the state.
At Kustom Sound Studios we are committed to giving a fair shot at employment to people with all backgrounds and urge other businesses to do the same. That’s why when I read that Koch Industries had removed the criminal conviction question from their applications, or “banned the box,” I was delighted to see an unlikely ally in the push for fair hiring. Delighted, albeit skeptical of their motives. Was banning the box on their applications just a publicity stunt? Will any applicant with prior convictions actually be hired at Koch Industries?
When a large corporation like Koch Industries removes the criminal conviction question from their applications it doesn’t mean they are truly committed to giving a fair shot to applicants. Removing the question from their applications is a big step in the right direction, but it doesn’t insure that people with records actually get hired. Moreover, if the applicant is hired it is often to a low-wage position with limited opportunity for advancement.
Such is the case with Walmart, in particular, which has banned the box on their applications. Walmart recently announced they would be giving their employees a raise, to just $9 an hour. While their commitment to increasing access to employment at their company is commendable, the employment opportunities needed to lift a person out of poverty are rarely found at Walmart.
That is why it is so important that President Barack Obama take action by signing an executive order making fair hiring practices the standard for all federal and federally contracted positions. Current federal hiring practices are aligned with fair hiring principles, but federal agencies can adopt their own hiring practices with little transparency. We need the president to lead by example and remove barriers to employment that keep applicants out of careers with the federal government and companies that do business with the government.
According to the National Employment Law Project, about one in three adults has an arrest or conviction record. That is roughly 70 million adults who are forced into the low-wage workforce, or shut out of the workforce entirely. When members of my community struggle to find work, or are relegated to a permanent state of unemployment, my business suffers. Expanding access to employment for people with prior convictions is not only the right thing to do, it’s the right move for my business.
Anthony James, co-owner of Kustom Sounds Studio and co-chair of Speak Up Florida, the Movement to End the New Jim Crow. Column courtesy of Context Florida.
