Job seekers with criminal histories learn about rights under law
NYC Commission on Human Rights Announces Citywide Enforcement Effort to Stop Discrimination
On Monday, the NYC Commission on Human Rights, elected officials, clergy and advocates met with job seekers who have criminal histories at The HOPE Program in Brooklyn to inform them of their rights under the New York City Human Rights Law, including recently added criminal and credit history protections.
Commissioner and Chair of the NYC Commission on Human Rights Carmelyn P. Malalis, Councilmember Jumaane Williams, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer, The HOPE Program Executive Director Jennifer Mitchell, National Employment Law Project Program Director Paul Sonn, Community Service Society of New York President and Chief Executive Officer David Jones, VOCAL-NY member Andre Centeno and Riverside Church Senior Minister Emeritus Rev. Dr. James Forbes were among those at the event.
Malalis announced that investigations into criminal history discrimination quadrupled in 2015, with 77 new investigations compared to 12 in 2014. Overall, employment discrimination-related investigations accounted for more than half of all new investigations opened at the Commission (or 53 percent) in 2015.