A group that says people with criminal records often face unreasonable barriers to employment has won a victory in the City of Kalamazoo. On Monday commissioners voted to change Kalamazoo's policy for businesses that contract with the city or get tax breaks or loans from it.
The new policy requires those businesses to refrain from asking about criminal background on an initial job application. A firm may reject an applicant based on a conviction only if it’s relevant to the job in question.
Advocates with the nonprofit group Michigan United led a campaign in favor of the proposal. Organizer Elisheva Johnson says she’s thrilled by the commission’s support.
“If we can attack poverty – and this does, directly – we can really change the lives of so many people in Kalamazoo,” she says.
Commissioner Erin Knott told the activists they’d done good work so far, but urged them to take their message further.
“You’re not going to have the impact, the mic-drop moment that you need unless you take this show on the road, and you’re at the City of Portage, you’re at the county, and if it’s not our county – you’re a statewide organization, you need to be taking this to other cities across the State of Michigan,” she said.
The policy takes effect June 1.
