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February 12, 2015 – In her State of the City speech, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said the Council will “expand protections to New Yorkers with poor credit.” And today, a coalition of 76 labor, civil rights, community and student groups called on the NYC Council to pass Intro. 261, the Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act, which would ban credit checks by employers in NYC. |
Several Council Members joined the coalition for a press conference on the steps of City Hall, along with New Yorkers denied desperately-needed jobs based on negative or erroneous information in their credit reports, to expose the unwarranted and discriminatory impact of this growing practice.
With 41 sponsors and backing from the Public Advocate, Intro. 261 has a super majority of support in the NYC Council.
“There is no evidence that a credit report can predict someone’s integrity, personal character, or ability to do their job. We should end this unfair and discriminatory process immediately,” said Council Member Brad Lander. “Many New Yorkers have poor credit through no fault of their own – because of medical emergencies, loss of a spouse, student loans, or a number of factors that have nothing to do with their integrity or character. This practice denies qualified New Yorkers much needed jobs, and I stand with everyone here to end credit checks, and end them today.”
“It seems that credit check discrimination is not only a concern for people with bad credit; it can also affect people who have no credit like me. With the rising costs of textbooks and tuition, I need some form of income just to keep up. Not only that, but it would be irresponsible for me to take out a credit card, with the goal of setting up my credit history, if I did not have any way of paying it off. In other words, having a job would provide me with the income to start building my credit; but in this case, it seems like employers want me to have good credit before even having a job. It’s completely backwards,” said Borough of Manhattan Community College student Woodensky Thomas.
“As City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito noted in her State of the City speech yesterday, the City is poised to ‘expand protections to New Yorkers with poor credit.’ Not only that, but New York is in the position to pass the strongest law banning the use of employment credit checks in the nation” said Armando Chapelliquen, Campaign Organizer with the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). “We are here as a broad coalition that includes community, civil rights, labor, and student organizations to thank the Speaker for highlighting the importance of this issue and to urge the Mayor and City Council to take action by passing Intro. 261, the Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act, without delay.”
“A worker’s credit history does not determine their job performance. With the current crisis of income inequality and the need to make our economy work again for working people, the last thing working people need is to be slammed by credit checks from potential employers. We need to support working New Yorkers and help them get out of the cycle of debt by creating access to good jobs,” said Dave Mertz, NYC Director of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
“It’s time New York City gives all job applicants an equal shot at employment, which is why we must ban the use of consumer credit checks from the hiring process,” said Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, Deputy Leader and Chair of the Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee. “Having poor credit history should not prevent someone from being able to put food on the table or pay their rent. It is time we end this discriminatory practice to ensure all New Yorkers can receive gainful employment despite their credit score, which often has nothing to do with a person’s work ethic. I applaud Council Member Brad Lander for his leadership on this initiative and proudly support this bill.”
“I served in the military for 30 years and received the highest level security clearances,” said Brooklyn resident and war veteran Emmett Pinkston. “Yet I was turned down for a job as a TSA baggage screener because of a bogus charge on my credit report. I found myself stuck at a low paying job.”
“Employment credit checks perpetuate inequality and disproportionately block New Yorkers of color from job opportunities,” said Monica Garcia, Community Education Coordinator with New Economy Project. “Credit reporting agencies are aggressively selling credit reports to employers — although the credit bureaus know perfectly well that a person’s credit history bears no relation to his or her job performance or character.”
“A person’s character and work performance is not reflected in their credit history. If my own credit report had been taken into account I would not have had the opportunities I have been afforded in civil service,” said Council Member Antonio Reynoso, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus. “I am grateful to have been evaluated on more substantial measures like experience and leadership in my community. All potential employees deserve this benefit.”
“A credit score does not prove a person’s character or whether he/she is able to perform the duties of their job. By using credit histories to qualify job applicants, employers are boldly discriminating and locking people out of the workforce. I stand with the NYC Coalition to Stop Credit Checks in Employment and urge Mayor de Blasio and my colleagues to pass the Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act (Intro 261),” said Council Member Andy King, Co-Chair of the Black, Latino & Asian Caucus.
“The fact that [the interviewers at Goldman Sachs] mentioned that a credit check would impact whether I would get the job or not, and given the positive feedback I received at my first interview, I am very suspicious that my lack of established credit history was the reason I was rejected for this position,” said Bronx Community College Student Ramon Lebron III.
“By requiring credit checks for employment, businesses put yet another obstacle blocking our people from employment. Rather than making our community’s path to good credit steeper we should be encouraging them and working with them to ensure that they receive the financial advice they need to get back on their feet. We will stop this cycle of debt and become a national leader by passing a strong ban on credit checks for New York employers.” Said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez.
“Many employers are using the credit histories of both job applicants and current employees to make employment decisions. This is an unfair practice, as many New Yorkers suffer from bad credit due to unforeseen life circumstances such as medical debt or divorce. The practice is dually counterintuitive: damaged credit has no correlation to someone’s qualification for a job and it is the people who have struggled with credit that need the very jobs they are being denied in order to confront the issues that affected their credit history in the first place.” Said Council Member Corey Johnson. “I therefore urge my colleagues in the City Council to stand up for these people by passing the Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act. Every single New Yorker has the right to be fairly given the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families, and it is up to us fight for and preserve that right.”
Click here to see photos from today’s press conference and hearing!
