Gas station chain Sheetz has been sued for conducting criminal background checks on its job applicants.
The lawsuit was filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and lists Sheetz, Inc.; Sheetz Distribution Services, LLC; and CLI Transport, LP as the defendants. The EEOC says that Sheetz has disproportionately screened out black, Native American, Alaska Native, and multiracial applicants from its hiring process due to the chain not hiring applicants with criminal conviction records.
“Federal law mandates that employment practices causing a disparate impact because of race or other protected classifications must be shown by the employer to be necessary to ensure the safe and efficient performance of the particular jobs at issue,” EEOC Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence said. “Even when such necessity is proven, the practice remains unlawful if there is an alternative practice available that is comparably effective in achieving the employer’s goals but causes less di …