The petition
Protect My Consumer Privacy!
Any employer can make a credit report mandatory for a job application. "If you don't want us to run your credit, then don't apply for the job." -- THIS IS NOT OKAY!
Federal Law only prohibits employer's from discriminating based on backruptcy. All other credit blemishes, even erroneous ones, can stop good people from getting hired.
We need a federal amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act to keep employers out of our credit record. A great example of such an amendment is Washington State's Senate Bill SB 5827:
People have a right to keep the information in their credit reports private. People who have had financial problems in the past because of student debt or unlucky circumstances, such as domestic violence, should not be denied employment because of their bad credit. Permitting employers to screen job applicants based on their credit makes it more difficult for low-income workers to move into the middle class.
Many credit reports contain errors and not every employer is going to take the time to ask a job applicant whether the information in the report is correct. There are plenty of other reliable ways to screen employment applicants. Credit checks by employers unfairly penalize lower class and middle class people who have had financial difficulties in the past; these are often the people who need employment the most. It is unfair to assume that someone is a criminal just because they are in a precarious financial situation. The exemptions in the amendment should be adequate to ensure that employers will be able to obtain select information on job applicants only when the applicant's credit is truly relevant.
We, the voting public, demand protection. The average American, Democrat or Republican, should not need perfect credit to find the perfect job.
Sign the petition
Fields marked * are required.