CUPERTINO — Apple has opened the door for construction workers with recent felonies on their records to help build its new campus.
The tech giant has lifted a requirement that people who had been convicted of felonies within the past seven years could not work on the massive Cupertino construction project, Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock told this newspaper Thursday. After the policy came to light this week, Apple came under fire from union leaders and advocates, who say construction jobs are a key source of work for felons trying to transition back into society.
“It recently came to our attention that, as part of a background check process unique to the Apple Campus 2 construction project, a few applicants were turned away because they had been convicted of a felony within the past seven years,” the spokesman said in a statement. “We recognize that this may have excluded some people who deserve a second chance. We have now removed that restriction and instructed our contractors on the project to evaluate all applicants equally, on a case-by-case basis, as we would for any role at Apple.”
Apple’s reversal followed several days of public pressure, with politicians such as state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, speaking out against the ban, and a petition circulating calling for Apple to reverse it. Iron Workers Local Union 377 raised awareness of the policy by sending letters to Apple CEO Tim Cook and state Attorney General Kamala Harris. The San Francisco Chronicle was first to report on Apple’s policy, and this newspaper was first to report on its reversal.
Michael Theriault, president of Iron Workers Local Union 377, said Apple’s change marked a step forward but stressed it is still unclear just how open the project will be to workers with criminal records.
“Clearly you don’t want child molesters working on school construction projects. Clearly you don’t want people with identity theft convictions working in facilities such as medical facilities or banks,” he said. “We don’t know exactly what Apple’s concerns are here.”
Union leaders are scheduled to meet with representatives from Apple and its general contractor Friday morning to discuss next steps, Theriault said.
Felons are sometimes barred from working on construction at sites such as schools and prisons, but union leaders say the bans are rare for private construction projects — including the other tech campuses sprouting up in Silicon Valley.
Apple’s policy extended to all people working on Apple Campus 2, not just construction workers, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Workers who had charges pending against them were considered on a case-by-case basis.
Fewer than five people were turned away from the project due to felonies on their records, a person with knowledge of the matter said. But leaders suspect some construction workers who had been convicted of such crimes were deterred from applying for the work in the first place.
A spokeswoman for Harris, whose office reached out to Apple about the policy, applauded the reversal.
“Our office is glad to see Apple’s commitment to provide a second chance to hardworking individuals,” the spokeswoman said.
Contact Julia Love at 408-920-5536 or follow her at Twitter.com/byJuliaLove.
