September 3, 2015 – Today, the NYC Coalition to Stop Credit Checks in Employment celebrates implementation of the “Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act,” a law that prohibits employers in NYC from checking the credit histories of potential hires and current employees. The Coalition of over 80 community, labor, civil rights and student organizations led the campaign to ban employment credit checks, a pernicious form of employment discrimination that disproportionately harms low income New Yorkers and people of color.
NYC’s new law – the strongest of its kind in the country – amends the local Human Rights Law and makes it illegal for employers to ask about or in any way use consumer credit information in making hiring, promotion, demotion, compensation or any other employment decisions.
The Coalition looks forward to working closely with the City’s Commission on Human Rights to ensure that workers know their rights and that the City strongly enforces this landmark labor protection. Job-seekers who feel that their rights have been compromised can begin filing complaints about this practice today, by calling 311.
The NYC Commission on Human Rights will be hosting “Know Your Rights” trainings for workers, as well as “Know Your Obligations” trainings for employers, throughout the city. For more information, visit the Commission’s website at www.nyc.gov/cchr.
