CRST Expedited settles claim it pulled job offer over criminal history

Iowa-based carrier CRST Expedited Inc. has agreed to pay $100,000 and take corrective actions to settle claims that it unlawfully rescinded a job offer based on the applicant’s criminal history, according to the California Civil Rights Department.

California’s Fair Chance Act requires employers to show a direct relationship between the duties of a job and an arrest or conviction before rejecting an otherwise qualified candidate, the department said in a news release on Thursday.

CRST, which admits no wrongdoing in the settlement, will pay $100,000 to the unnamed job candidate, train employees involved in employment decisions on the Fair Chance Act and ensure company policies comply with the law, including a provision that convictions more than 7 years old are not considered.

The California law forbids most employers from asking about criminal history before making a job offer and limits disqualifying convictions to those that have a “direct and adverse” bearing on the job. According to the Civil Rights Department, almost a third of adults in California have an arrest or conviction that can harm their ability to get a job.

A CRST Expedited applicant in Southern California claimed to have been rejected for a senior leadership role based on the candidate’s criminal history, the department stated. The company, a subsidiary of Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based CRST The Transportation Solution Inc., allegedly did not conduct an individualized assessment of the criminal past and “failed to consider the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that had passed, and how the offense related to the job being sought.” The department did not state the nature of the conviction.

“Everyone deserves an opportunity to make a living,” Civil Rights Department Director Kevin Kish said in the release. “The Fair Chance Act helps ensure every Californian can work and contribute to their communities.”

CRST did not immediately respond to a FreightWaves email seeking comment.

Family-owned CRST is a $2 billion nationwide enterprise, according to the company’s website.

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