Piscataway Company Agrees To Amend Job Application Language

PISCATAWAY, NJ — A food distributor based in Piscataway is one of fifteen New Jersey companies that agreed to stop using language inquiring about applicants’ criminal histories in their job advertisements.

There is an existing New Jersey law on the books, called the Opportunity to Compete Act, which generally prohibits employers using language such as “No criminal record” and “Must have a clean background check" in their hiring ads.

According to the Gov. Murphy administration, those kinds of statements immediately prohibit anyone with a criminal record — no matter what the crime — from being hired. Also, they make it nearly impossible for anyone with a criminal record —nearly all of whom have served their time in jail — to re-enter the workforce and become productive members of society.

“Here in New Jersey, we believe that a criminal record shouldn’t be a permanent barrier to employment, and that once you’ve paid your debt to society, you’re entitled to a fair shake when looking for work,” said Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew Bruck on Thursday. “With the enforcement sweep we’re announcing today, we’re sending a clear message to employers that they need to comply with the law, so that people with criminal records can reintegrate into the community, join the workforce, and provide for themselves and their families.”

Fifteen companies in the state, including the Piscataway company, were found to have violated the law. Twelve of the companies were not revealed by name by the state Attorney General, as he said they violated the law without wrongdoing. However, each of the following three companies was initially assessed a $1,000 penalty, which was reduced to $250 in light of their good faith cooperation and pledge to change their hiring practices going forward.

The three companies are:

• Ferraro Foods, Inc., Italian food distributor based in Piscataway, used the jobs website Indeed.com to advertise for sales representative positions in multiple mid-Atlantic locations. In each instance, the ads included the following text: “Must maintain Criminal History free of Misdemeanors and Felonies.”
• Roadrunner Logistics, Inc. posted an employment ad on Indeed.com seeking a delivery driver to be based in Newark. The posting stated explicitly, “No criminal record” and “Must have a clean background check.”
• Simco Logistics, Inc. (d/b/a Jack and Jill Ice Cream) advertised on Indeed.com for a sales representative position based in Linden, and included the following language: “Must have a clean Background Check – no criminal convictions.”

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