December 17, 2013
New York City groups are hailing the latest move by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who today introduced a bill to ban the use of credit checks by employers. Dozens of labor, civil rights, community, and student groups called on the New York City Council and Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio today to follow Sen. Warren’s lead by enacting legislation to end this unfair and discriminatory hiring practice in New York City.
The bill Senator Warren introduced today mirrors civil rights legislation pending in the New York City Council, first introduced in 2012. The NYC “Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act” has garnered significant City Council support, and ending employment credit checks is among the “13 Bold Ideas” of the NYC Council’s Progressive Caucus.
“The New York City Council and Mayor-elect de Blasio need to act on this vital legislation early in the New Year,” said Alfred Carpenter, a Brooklyn resident and member of the NYC Coalition to Stop Credit Checks in Employment. “I was repeatedly denied retail jobs for which I was clearly qualified, because of negative information in my credit report related to medical debts.”
“The connection between Sen. Warren’s progressive agenda and that of Mayor-elect de Blasio is not lost on New Yorkers,” said Joby Thoyalil, Campaigns Organizer at New Economy Project. “New York City is poised to act on this progressive agenda and bring an end to discriminatory employment credit checks.”
Mayor-elect de Blasio has indicated support for a ban on employment credit checks. During his recent mayoral campaign, he said, “I agree entirely with the efforts to ban the practice of [credit] checks being used in any kind of employment or hiring practice,” and his campaign website calls employment credit checks a “needless roadblock to economic opportunity.”
“Employment credit checks prevent qualified workers like me from much-needed jobs,” said Onieka O’Kieffe, a member of the Retail Action Project, who was denied a retail position after a prospective employer checked her credit report. “My managers have always trusted me and I have never been fired. Having negative information on my credit report has nothing to do with how I do my job.”
“Job seekers who are already disadvantaged by racial discrimination, disability status, lack of health coverage, unemployment and other economic challenges are particularly affected by employment credit checks,” said Amy Traub, Senior Policy Analyst at Demos. “Like Senator Warren’s Equal Employment for All Act, the New York City legislation would eliminate this unfair barrier to employment and increase job opportunities for qualified applicants.”
“Employers should look at college credits, not credit reports when making hiring decisions,” said Andy Morrison, NYPIRG Campaigns Director. “Students and recent graduates who’ve had to take on record levels of student loan debt shouldn’t be punished–they deserve a fair shot at good jobs just like everyone else. NYPIRG calls on the next Mayor and City Council to follow Senator Warren’s example and champion legislation that ends employment credit checks.”
