District C Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer
The New Orleans City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that prevents city contractors from asking about potential hiresโ criminal history on their job applications, a measure that extends an existing City Hall policy to people who want to work under employers with city contracts, cooperative endeavor grants or grant funding.
Councilmembers and proponents argue that applicants should be considered for employment on the merits of their skill and experience, not be automatically removed as a candidate because of their criminal history. (The measure does not prevent employers from performing background checks.)
The City Council also effectively denied a change that was proposed by Mayor LaToya Cantrellโs administration, which added wording calling for contractors' "substantial" compliance with the measure. Earlier this month, the City Council asked the administration to come back with a draft that removes the word, which councilmembers argued could end up creating loopholes for noncompliance. The version that passed Oct. 18 removes the wording.
โโSubstantialโ compliance is not sufficient,โ said District C Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer, who authored the measure.
The administration also reworked its enforcement timeline; Cantrell's administration initially called for a start date of April 1, but the City Council argued that would essentially be a six-month lapse. They arrived at a March 1 compromise.
Efforts to enforce the cityโs living wage ordinance and ensure formerly incarcerated people have a fair shot of employment are priming New Orl…
โThis is going to change lives, this is going to improve our city,โ said Council President Jason Williams.
For formerly incarcerated people re-entering the workforce, โthis is going to remove obstacles," he said.
Step Up Louisian has pushed lawmakers at state and local levels to introduce similar โban the boxโ measures, part of a three-point plan that also includes equal pay enforcement and a $15 minimum wage.
In 2014, city officials approved a policy that "bans the box" for unclassified positions at the city level, but it wasn't uniform among contractors or employers receiving city funds.
In a statement, Palmer said she has been reminded by formerly incarcerated people and their families that โfor far too long our criminal justice system has placed its priorities in punishment and not rehabilitation.โ
โEx-offenders should not serve a life sentence after serving time in prison,โ she said. โThis new policy allows them a chance to be considered for employment based on their qualifications and experience related to the position they're applying for and not their past.โ
Barry Smith wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and clocks in at 6 with the New Orleans Department of Sanitation. For the last year and three months, heโs w…