Apple has rescinded its policy on hiring convicted felons for construction projects on its new campus, the company announced Thursday.
Apple received some heat earlier this week from union workers and advocacy groups after it surfaced that the Cupertino-based tech giant won’t hire construction workers with past felony convictions.A California senator from San Francisco wanted Apple to change its policy.
An Apple spokesperson on Thursday said in a statement to NBC Bay Area that a few applicants were turned away because of their felony convictions due to to a background check process unique to the Apple Campus 2 construction project.
In a statement, Apple said: "We believe in opportunity for everyone, and Apple has never had a blanket ban on hiring people with felony convictions. It recently came to our attention that, as part of a background check process unique to the Apple Campus 2 construction project, a few applicants were turned away because they had been convicted of a felony within the past seven years. We recognize that this may have excluded some people who deserve a second chance. We have now removed that restriction and instructed our contractors on the project to evaluate all applicants equally, on a case by case basis, as we would for any role at Apple.”
Apple fired several workers in January hired to help build its new Campus 2 on One Infinite Loop because of their criminal past, union leaders first told the San Francisco Chronicle. They told the newspaper said it was unusual because other tech companies do not have such policies for construction workers.
State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said it flies in the face of a lot of hard work to lower California’s recidivism rate.
"There are certain positions where there is some nexus between the crime committed and the position offered. Construction does not appear to be one of those," Leno told Apple Insider. "In this situation, I would strongly suggest that this policy be changed."
Union leaders have sent letters to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, urging him to reconsider. The company had no formal comment. But a source familiar with the policy told the Chronicle it only applies to felony convictions within the past seven years.
Michael Theriault, president of Iron Workers Local Union 377, said he doesn’t “understand the function of the policy. What are they trying to achieve?” He said union workers achieve “quality and safety” whether they have felony convictions or not. He's written a letter asking Apple to reconsider, saying that in many cases, "construction is the only line of work where these folks can find a job."
Attorney General Kamala Harris said her office had reviewed the letters and reached out to Apple. And a Change.org petition has been started to change Apple’s policy.
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It's not uncommon for federal construction contracts, or contracts for private companies doing government business, to have stringent requirements, Apple Insider noted. And while felons do have a hard time getting jobs because they have to check the felony conviction job box on applications, there are felons who can and do find work, as evidenced in books such as "Jobs for Felons: How to Find Employment if You Have a Criminal Record."
And according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, excluding job applicants who have criminal records may indeed constitute employment and discrimination under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
