As a Vocational Services Manager at the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) in New York City, Terry has seen fewer participants pursue a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC card) because of the barriers they face when seeking jobs at port facilities across the country.
“Why would anyone want to go through the hassle of obtaining original documents and paying to apply, only to be denied because of their background and then have to appeal?” Terry says. “They can usually make the same money at another job that doesn’t have bureaucratic red tape.”
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires a TWIC card for all workers who need access to secured areas at any port. The federal program, created in the aftermath of 9/11, provides a biometric credential to workers requiring unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities.
Having a TWIC card can open up opportunities for someone wanting to travel for work or learn a trade like welding; however, these mandatory credentials are a frequent roadblock for justice-impacted individuals seeking employment in cities like Philadelphia, New York, and San Diego.
Terry, who has 17 years working at CEO, explains that while justice-impacted individuals are eligible to apply for a card, they are routinely denied because of their criminal records. “By the time it is determined that their charge or felony does not fall within the automatically disqualifying category, months have passed by, and the opportunity is gone.”
“But in my experience,” adds Terry, “one of the biggest challenges comes from not having the paperwork to even apply for a TWIC card. The TSA requires original vital documents that many people don’t have coming out of prison, so they’re out before they even get up to bat.”
Additionally, authorities often require a certificate of completion of parole or probation, which can be difficult to obtain in some cases. Even paying the $125 application fee can be a roadblock.
Assuming someone meets all the guidelines to apply for a TWIC card, if they are rejected, the only course of action is to appeal or request a waiver from the federal program.
The challenges of obtaining TWIC cards are a frequent barrier for both participants seeking work and employers seeking to hire. Although CEO and Terry find fair chance employers who are willing to hire people with a criminal background, they are often disappointed by the arduous administrative requirements that prevent people from working.
“Justice-impacted job seekers at CEO experience rejection, but local employers and training providers also experience fallout from these challenges,” Terry says.
Because of this problem, federal legislators have introduced the Transportation Worker Identification Credential Efficacy (TWICE) Act to make it easier for justice-impacted individuals to apply for a TWIC card without compromising background check standards. The legislation aims to simplify the application and appeals process, expanding access to good-paying jobs in high-demand sectors such as transportation and logistics for people who have faced barriers to employment. CEO has been actively advocating for the passage of the TWICE Act, working with lawmakers to ensure that more people returning home from incarceration can access the credentials they need to build lasting careers.
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that as of September 8, 2010, there were 460,786 TWIC-approved applicants with criminal records —about 27% of all approved applicants at that time.
“If you have changed your life, have a skill set, or want to learn a new trade, you should not be stopped from getting your TWIC if your charge doesn’t disqualify you from doing so,” says Terry. “We’ve placed some people at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and unions, but it doesn’t happen often.”
Political leaders and activists hope that with the introduction of the TWICE Act, some of those challenges may disappear, leaving CEO participants with more options to succeed.
