Michigan employment and driver license requirements?

Q: A friend of mine in MI has a suspended drivers license. He has recently changed jobs. Before he began at his new place of employment he completed his package and was never required to complete any background check, driving record check clearance paperwork. He has now been employed for a week and the company is requesting a driving record clearance for him. I thought by law companies were required to request this information prior to employment? What does Michigan Law say about this?

A: Michigan is an "at will" state for employment. Meaning they can fire you for anything that's not covered on the EEOC. If driving or traveling is a part of his job responsibilities then frankly, they have the (common sense) right to know his driving record. He can always turn down their request, but they can always just fire him too. If they give background checks to all their new hires after they hire him he'll likely have no grounds to fight it. If they are giving a background check to him specifically and it's not something they typically do, he'll possibly have a claim. Really, if I was your friends and he's a good employee, I'd explain to the employer the situation and let them know it wont interfere with his job and I've learned and grown from the situation and let them know how embarrassed I am to have to bring it up. If he's a delivery driver or something like that he's screwed. Here are the reasons you can't fire people in Michigan (if you're not in a union): http://www.eeoc.gov/types/index.html Here's a link to privacy and background checks:http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs16-bck.htm#3

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