As of November 1, 2013, Seattle, Washington will regulate inquiries into criminal records and their use for employment purposes. The Seattle City Council adopted council Bill 117796 (the Ordinance) in June 2013. Employers with Seattle operations should review the Ordinance and its prohibitions.
In addition, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed two separate impact discrimination lawsuits declaring that employers violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when using criminal records for employment-related purposes.
To learn more, please read Littler’s ASAP, Seattle Adopts Ordinance Limiting Inquiries Into and Use of Criminal Records for Employment Purposes, by Rod Fliegel, Pam Salgado, Dan Thieme, and Jennifer Mora.