Second Chance Business Coalition Reaches 50-Member Milestone

Second Chance Business Coalition Reaches 50-Member Milestone

Releases Legal Considerations Guide and Announces April 4 Convening in Philadelphia

Washington, DC, April 1, 2024 – The Second Chance Business Coalition (SCBC) today celebrated the addition of three new member companies — Consolidated Edison, Inc. (Con Edison), Eli Lilly and Company, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) — reaching the major milestone of 50 large, private-sector employers committed to second chance hiring and career advancement practices.

Launched in April 2021 with 29 members, the SCBC has made tremendous progress in its efforts to promote the benefits of second chance employment and provide member companies with the tools, relationships and expertise to advance career and economic opportunities for the more than 80 million Americans with a criminal record.

“Jobs bring dignity and help lay a foundation for stability,” said Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and co-chair of the SCBC. “Lowering the barriers to employment so that more Americans can access a second chance to participate in the workforce is good for families, communities and the economy. To drive real impact and get the millions of Americans waiting on the sidelines into good jobs, we need strong public-private partners at the table. We’re excited to see the incredible progress of the Coalition, welcoming the NBA, Con Edison and Eli Lilly to help create more opportunity and help more companies hire top talent.”

“I’m encouraged to see the Coalition achieve this milestone in its work to bring employment opportunities to millions of Americans who’ve been sidelined from joining our nation’s workforce,” said Craig Arnold, Chairman and CEO of Eaton and co-chair of the SCBC. “We welcome our newest members and stand ready to work with them and all our member companies to strengthen their employment programs and deepen their support of second chance employees.”

The SCBC also announced the release of its latest resource, “Opening Doors: An Employer Guide to Legal Considerations in Second Chance Employment.”

The comprehensive guide provides an understanding of legal considerations for companies as they advance their second chance employment efforts. Covering various aspects of the employment life cycle — including talent attraction, recruitment and onboarding — “Opening Doors” provides talent management and HR professionals with practical information, leading practices and in-depth discussion of key issues.

The SCBC is hosting its second annual Second Chance Month convening in Philadelphia on April 4.

Business Roundtable, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Eaton and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania are co-hosting “The Business Case for Second Chance Employment — Charting a Path Forward With Business Schools and Corporations.” Business leaders, academics, administrators, state leaders and justice-impacted individuals will examine the state of second chance employment and offer strategies for its continued growth. This in-person event is free and open to the public. Register here.

The full membership of the SCBC now includes Accenture, Allstate, American Airlines, Aon, AT&T, Bank of America, Best Buy, BorgWarner, Cisco, Con Edison, CVS Health, Deloitte, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Eaton, Eli Lilly, Gap, General Motors, The Home Depot, Indeed, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Kelly Services, Koch Industries, Kroger, LKQ Corporation, Lowe’s, Macy’s, Mastercard, McDonald’s, Micron Technology, Microsoft, the National Basketball Association, NBCUniversal, PayPal, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Prudential Financial, Radius Recycling, Ralph Lauren, Randstad, Target, Texas Instruments, Total Wine, Union Pacific, United Airlines, Verizon Communications, Virgin, Visa, Vistra, Walgreens Boots Alliance and Walmart.

Interested large employers can review the business case for second chance employment and contact the SCBC for more information at info@secondchancebusinesscoalition.org. To learn more about our work, visit us at www.secondchancebusinesscoalition.org.

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The Second Chance Business Coalition (SCBC) is a cross-sector coalition of large, private-sector firms committed to expanding second chance hiring and advancement practices within their companies. Leveraging the support and expertise of our four partner organizations — Business Roundtable, the Society for Human Resource Management, Stand Together and the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Pivot Program — we equip our coalition member companies with best practices, technical assistance and support to increase the number of people with criminal records they hire and put on a path to greater upward mobility. Learn more at www.secondchancebusinesscoalition.org.