GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — For Uber Driver Scott Sander, it's his car that helps him make a living.
"I like the people, you know, I meet a lot of interesting people doing this job. It's a great job when I can do it," said Sander.
"When I can do it". That's the key phrase. He hasn't been able to do it for the past three weeks.
Instead he has been waiting on his yearly background check to clear through Uber. Drivers can't work for the company until those checks are completed.
He's been told Michigan's new "Clean Slate Law" has backed up court systems that make background checks work.
"They've kind of done something to the computers that they can't go in and check themselves anymore, or the companies that do these kind of background checks," said Sander.
Sander's friend, Hector Rivas, who also drives for the company, has had it a little tougher. He's been waiting on his background check to clear for five months.
"I need the money, I need my job, I need to support my family," said Rivas. "So I sit down doing nothing. Just calling here, calling there, and nobody can give you the right answer. It's frustrating."
Michigan's Clean Slate Law, which went into effect in April 2021, was designed to expunge misdemeanors and some felony convictions from a person's record who files an application.
But the new law makes it harder to search for records.
Kent County's 61st District Court's website is currently unavailable to search for public records. A message says the website is undergoing maintenance.
Grand Rapids Private Investigator Ed Kolakowski said, the changes haven't impacted his business much because he does all the work, including background checks, himself. However, he can see how it's more difficult now for larger companies, like "Checkr", that does background checks for Uber.
"I think when the bigger companies are involved, they don't have the manpower to actually go visit the courts and actually go there," said Kolakowski. "So they're relying on technology, and investigative work and doing backgrounds."
While Uber drivers Cynthia Newman and David Ware also waited months for theirs to clear this year, they're now back on the road. Now, they hope the process can be streamlined before next year.
"This is a job," said Newman. "This isn't a gig. This is a job. I pay my taxes. Trust me, I pay my taxes. But this is a job. And we enjoy it and we love it."
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