"Our experience is that people with criminal backgrounds make great employees,'' says Mark Peters, CEO of Butterball. "They found an employer willing to take a chance on them, so they're eager to prove themselves and grow with the company."
Cascade Engineering, a global manufacturer, has about 60 formerly incarcerated people among its 500 Grand Rapids employees. The company has an explicit anti-racism statement and a felony convictions policy that removes prior convictions as a bar to employment. It also supported a "Ban the Box" campaign to eliminate the standard question on job applications regarding prior convictions. At Butterball, nearly 30 of its 170 employees are former prisoners. Peters initially championed hiring them on grounds of fairness, but now he also recognizes their significant contribution to the company.
http://www.policylink.org/site/c.lkIXLbMNJrE/b.8526303/k.E5C6/Americas_Tomorrow__January_23_2013.htm?section=story1&msource=ESGM20130123#.UQBxAyfAfJY
Anti-Racism Statement
At Cascade Engineering, we believe in the values of diversity and inclusion. More specifically, we believe in the diversity of thoughts, ideas, beliefs, experiences, and the inclusion of people regardless of their race, color, sex, language, national origin, religion, orientation or age. In addition to supporting the principles of diversity and inclusion, Cascade Engineering is on a journey to be an anti-racism organization. Our statement defining our journey is as follows:
Cascade Engineering is an anti-racism organization. Cascade Engineering defines being an anti-racism organization as creating an environment where all employees regardless of race or the color of their skin know they are valued. We acknowledge that racism can be unconscious or unintentional and identifying racism as an issue does not automatically mean those involved in the act are racist or intended the negative impact. As an anti-racism organization we will purposefully identify, discuss and challenge issues of race and color and the impact(s) they have on the organization, its systems, and its people. We will also challenge ourselves to understand and correct any inequities we may discover within Cascade Engineering and gain a better understanding of ourselves during this purposeful process. Being an anti-racism organization is a journey and it is the learning along the way that makes this work worth all of our efforts.
Our goal is to create and maintain an environment where employees feel safe to discuss race and the importance it has on our organization and our lives outside of work. Cascade Engineering will continue to purposefully discuss and deepen our understanding of race and racism. As part of this journey, Cascade Engineering was audited by the Partners for a Racism Free Community (PRFC), non-profit organization whose purpose is “to achieve a standard of excellence in racial equality, choosing to become identified with others of a like mind in order to create the critical mass necessary for community transformation.” Cascade Engineering has been certified as a Full Partner by the PRFC, and is the only manufacturer certified in the State of Michigan. The next and highest level of certification is Credential Partner and we hope to be the first business certified in the state.
We are deeply committed to purposefully studying the impacts of race and racism throughout the organization. This work can be uncomfortable and even painful to some, but we have found that the greatest challenges bear the greatest rewards. By embracing the principles of diversity and inclusion our culture is strengthened and our workplace is more dynamic. We would like to recognize and thank our employees, suppliers and stakeholders for supporting our 2012 Diversity Calendar.
http://www.cascadeng.com/about/antiracism.htm
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