October 1, 2014 – “Discrimination has no place in New York City,” writes Dēmos’ Amy Traub in a new piece on the Huffington Post. Read her article urging Mayor de Blasio and the City Council to pass the nation’s strongest law banning employment credit checks here. Want to get involved in the campaign? Sign the petition to the Mayor and City Council, and let us know if you’ve been denied a job due to credit checks and would like to tell your story.
Demos Releases Memo on Exemptions
September 17, 2014 – Dēmos today released an open memo to Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito outlining unjustified exemptions that commonly weaken and undermine legislation on employment credit checks. Dēmos examined bills around the country and concluded that “exemptions – which often carve out broad general categories or specific job positions for which employment credit checks can still be conducted – are not substantiated by research showing that credit checks are valid for the exempted positions. Indeed, no peer-reviewed studies find that a job applicant’s personal credit report is a reliable indicator of the applicant’s future performance on the job or likelihood of committing fraud or any other form of misconduct or crime.” Read the entire memo here.New Yorkers Call for Local Ban on Credit Checks in Hiring
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September 12, 2014 – A coalition of 75 labor, civil rights, community and student groups today 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. Council Members joined the coalition for a press conference on the City Hall steps, along with New Yorkers harmed by employment credit checks, to expose the unwarranted and discriminatory impact of this growing practice. |
Credit Checks Are Discriminatory. Time To End Them!
David R. Jones, from the Community Service Society, writes in a blog post about the discriminatory impact employment credit checks have on minorities and the need to remove “pernicious and unjustified barriers to employment.” Read the post here.
City Council to Hold Hearing on Intro 261
This Friday, September 12, at 10 am, the New York City Council – Civil Rights Committee will hold a public hearing on Intro. 261, the Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act. JOIN US! Make your voice heard and help end employment credit checks in NYC. All are welcome to testify. The hearing will take place starting at 10 am at City Hall, in Council Chambers. Join us for a coalition press conference beforehand, at 9:30 am on the steps of City Hall. Members of the NYC Coalition to Stop Credit Checks in Employment — including New Yorkers harmed by this unfair barrier to jobs — will speak at both events. For more information or to get involved, please contact us.
Can’t make the hearing but want to show support? Sign our petition and tell Mayor DeBlasio and the NY City Council to stop discriminatory credit checks by employers. If you’ve been affected by employment credit checks, we want to hear from you — contact us to share your story.
Brooklyn College Students Call for Ban on Credit Checks in Hiring
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August 13, 2014 – College students and members of the NYC Coalition to Stop Credit Checks in Employment gathered today outside Brooklyn College to call on the NYC Council to ban employment credit checks, which constitute an unfair barrier to jobs for students saddled with student loan debt, among others. “There is an immediate need for a ban on employment credit checks,” said Zarlish Hafeez, a Brooklyn College student and NYPIRG intern. “The Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act is a critical piece of legislation that will ensure success for the future of students—who are the future of this city.” |
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