NYC council says credit check ban will help end job discrimination
If you’re applying for a job and your prospective employer demands to see your credit history, that employer could be violating New York City law.
The City Council passed legislation aimed at outlawing the common practice of employers getting a look at the credit history of job applicants, a bill that council members said is aimed at ending discrimination in the job market. Councilmember Brad Lander (D-Park Slope) sponsored the bill, which the council passed on April 16.
“Credit checks for employment unfairly lock New Yorkers out of jobs,” Lander said in a statement. “So I’m proud that the council is passing the strongest bill of its kind to end discriminatory employment credit checks. Just this week, we heard from a recently laid-off single mom, worried about finding a new job because of her daughter’s college loans on her credit report. She wrote that this law gives her ‘a new lease on life.’”