KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Michigan United has planned a tailgate party and a protest before Monday’s meeting of the Kalamazoo City Commission, where they will demand that businesses that receive city tax breaks be prohibited from doing criminal background checks on most prospective employees.
They say several commissioners made promises during their campaign last fall that they would back so-called “fair chance” legislation. Now, representatives with the group say they want to hold them to that promise.
About a dozen states and 60 cities have adopted similar bills that are designed to give felons a chance at a job.
Some go much farther than the request being made of city commissioners tonight.
The City of Kalamazoo has already banned the box that asks whether the applicant has a criminal history on city job applications.
