The Justice Department resolved a case with Printful Inc., a printing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina that concerned a policy that required non-U.S. citizens to present specific documents to prove their permission to work in the United States. The Justice Dept. called the policy discriminatory, and alleged that it violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Under the settlement, Printful is fined civil penalties and must pay backpay to the worker who made the complaint.
Workers choose what documents to show they can work in the US
During its investigation, the Justice Dept. found that Printful rejected documents to prove permission to work in the US from a lawful permanent resident, specifically a valid driver’s license and Social Security card. Instead, Printful required the employee to provide her Permanent Resident Card, aka a “green card.”
Printful’s policy required non-U.S. citizens to provide specific documents, while U.S. citizens had no such requirement and could provide any legally accepted documentation that was accepted under the terms of the process. The Justice Dept. deemed this violated the INA, and discriminated against workers based on the national origin or immigration status. In addition to monetary penalties, Printful will be required to revise its policies and train personnel on anti-discrimination requirements under the INA.
“Companies cannot reject workers’ valid documents or require specific or unnecessary documents based on citizenship status when checking their permission to work,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Avoid discrimination in your hiring process
This case revolves around unfair documentary practices when filling out the I-9 as part of the hiring verification process. The Justice Dept. offers information about discrimination on its website to help employers follow federal law pertaining to documentation that verifies a person has permission to work in the U.S.
Dawn Brotherton is a Sr. Staff Writer at The American Genius with an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Oklahoma. She is an experienced business writer with over 10 years of experience in SEO and content creation. Since 2017, she has earned $60K+ in grant writing for a local community center, which assists disadvantaged adults in the area.
