Fired Bus Driver's Lawsuit Could Change Ohio Employment Laws

Cincinnati, OHA Cincinnati-based transit company is being sued over its hiring practices in a lawsuit that could have major implications for national and Ohio employment laws.

Adrienne Hudson, an African-American single mother, was hired by First Transit as a bus driver, but was later fired when the transit company discovered that she had an expunged felony conviction for welfare fraud that was seven years old, according to Cincinnati.com.

Backed by the largest transit unions in the country, Hudson is suing, claiming that a policy that bars those with felony convictions from employment not only discriminates against blacks and Hispanics, but also violates civil rights laws.

Some labor experts believe that this case could have a substantial impact on hiring practices throughout Ohio.

"It would be enormously significant and could eventually say to all companies in the country, in Ohio and in Cincinnati that these blanket felon bans and their restrictions are unacceptable," Stephen JohnsonGrove, an attorney with the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, told the news source. "It could impact almost every company that hires people and uses criminal records as a determinant."

According to the Amalgamated Transit Union, First Transit's hiring policy violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act.