Will Chicago Ban Discrimination Against Unemployed? Alderman Hopes So

If one Chicago alderman gets his way, city employers will no longer be able to discriminate against unemployed job applicants.

The proposal, from Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th), would update the city's Human Rights Ordinance to prohibit companies from rejecting potential employees on the basis that they are unemployed or have bad credit, NBC Chicago reports.

Pawar, a freshman alderman, introduced the proposal last fall to an enthusiastic response from the rest of the City Council -- all but nine of them signed off on adding "credit history" and "gap in employment history" to the ordinance's protected categories, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Pawar was reportedly inspired to pen the proposal after noticing that some online job postings state that the "unemployed need not apply." At a time where unemployment remains startlingly high both nationwide and locally, the alderman told Fox News last fall that such postings "create a permanent class of unemployable people, and to me that is totally unacceptable."

Pawar also said research has failed to draw a connection between credit rating and job performance and that every job seeker "deserves a fair shake."

As of late last month, unemployment in the Chicagoland area was on the rise -- to 9.3 percent -- even as statewide unemployment dipped slightly.

New Jersey has already banned such discrimination from taking place in their state and a bill was also introduced in Congress last fall that would do the same, according to the Tribune.

President Obama also included discrimination against the unemployed in his American Jobs Act. The president criticized employers' warning that applicants "must be currently employed" as a requirement that "makes absolutely no sense."

A council committee held a hearing on the proposal Thursday morning.

Comments

[barbie1212]

06:25 PM on 03/21/2012

Wow!!! How dare unemployed people want to work. They should be getting in the line for food stamps, section 8 and all Goverment healthcare. How can you turn down someone who is qualified because they are currently unemployed. Are they supposed to stay unemployed forever? One would think that someone who has been unemployed but never left the job market and continued to look for work would be displaying the type of passion, determination and fight that an employer would want.

[Florian EngageAmerica]

01:22 PM on 02/23/2012

If Chicago bans discrimination in its hiring process it will be a giant step forward for the economic recovery process. The discrimination that the unemployed are facing is horrendous and completely detrimental to all recovery processes that we are entering. The ironic portion of it is that since no employer will hire them because they’re unemployed, they remain out of work longer which adds to the status!(http://eng.am/sTx56V) It’s a catch 22 that is driving people into giving up looking for work. What is of course clear is that the so called shrinking unemployment rate is met with an even faster growing jobless rate. This needs to be fixed, NOW.

[lynnhamilton]

12:01 PM on 02/17/2012

Discrimination against the unemployed is just downright unfair. Many unemployed are the victims of failed industry or failed businesses. We all know that businesses often lay off their best employees-simply because those people are making the highest salaries. We also know that people lose their jobs because of personality politics, failing to such up enough, etc. I've written a petition in support of Pawar's proposal here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/chicago-dont-bypass-the-unemployed/

If you agree, please sign it and share it with friends.

[corwin]

12:28 PM on 02/17/2012

Diffidently, I must inform you,the thought of laying off my best employees during a downturn never crossed my mond.COuld you be a Liberal Arts Major?

[DEmusicman]

02:20 PM on 02/18/2012

Then you're the only one that has ever kept their good people while eliminating bad. Actaully the opposite is true most of the time these days.Typically most if not all the best employees hit the bricks while the morons and the suckups are kept. And we wonder why nothign ever gets done. Geee, what could it be?

[chiGrkBoy]

07:58 AM on 02/17/2012

I agree with others. How do you enforce it? Bosses will simple tell HR folk to make sure they have a viable excuse when someone presses charges.

[ChiGuy]

02:26 AM on 02/17/2012

Sounds good on paper, doesn't it? So, how ya' gonna know? The "honor" system? LOL!!

[corwin]

10:31 PM on 02/16/2012

The Aldermen made speeches against the comet,held meetings about it and even voted the comet right out of the sky. But,it just kept on coming.

[laser focused]

06:25 PM on 02/16/2012

you can say anything you want -- even put it on paper...but prove it/ I'll discriminate all I want and ain't a damn thing you'll be able to prove.

[corwin]

06:08 PM on 02/16/2012

Why can't Chicago just ban unemployment? Wouldn't that solve everything?

[Arkm00]

04:35 PM on 02/16/2012

This is a bad idea...........It will make employers concerned with this issue not allow people that fit into this catagory even get to the point were liability may come up. Happens to bl ack people everyday.

[citizenlegisators]

03:03 PM on 02/16/2012

will the also enforce the discrimination and racist hiring of those less qualified based on gender and ethnicity ?

[Greg34]

02:31 PM on 02/16/2012

This is unenforcable, while I think you can bad job ads that state the unemployed should not apply there is no way to protect the unemployed. While some people are not employed by unfortunate circumstances such as the economy many choose not to be and it will open up litigation and lawsuits towards employers by people wanting to game the system. Being unemployed can be a choice and no business should worry about being shaken down byt he EEOC or an applicant because they are hiring someone for a job. They should put their efforts into enticing more employers to the state. Do they think creates a good business climate or not? Do they think employers like Caterpillar are going to stay in the state and stand for this?

[dimplesmile7]

02:11 PM on 02/16/2012

The government should withhold funding to any city that is practicing discrimination towards the unemployed.

[laser focused]

06:26 PM on 02/16/2012

prove it -- I'm discriminating right now. hah

[corwin]

10:34 PM on 02/16/2012

Couldn't one assume that cities with the highest unemployment rates are most likely discriminating against the unemployed? ANd ,aren't these cities ,like,um Chicago Dimmie dominated cities?Well, I don't know about you,but Delta isn't going to stay on HP and conclude that Democratic governed cities are discriminating against the unemployed just because their unemployment rates are sky high .

[dimplesmile7]

04:50 AM on 02/18/2012

Personally, I think party affiliate is irrelevant in this case. Unemployment is high all over and it is certainly not just Chicago. Like I said before anyone that is clearly showing discrimination in their hiring practices should not receive any government funding. Don't care if its red or blue states,

[recruiterMikeC]

01:32 PM on 02/16/2012

This is a sad attempt to get votes. At the end of the day this will be hard to enforce. If the city really wants to help it should reduce taxes and try to get more businesses to the city. For real ways to help unemployed people get jobs checkout the article below.

http://recruitermikec.blogspot.com/2012/02/job-seekers-these-5-things-will-open-up.html

[MrStat1]

12:50 PM on 02/16/2012

There is no way to enforce this. Someone applies for a job. They have to list on their resume their job history. There is a big gap. The person never hears from the company regarding an interview. How does he know if he was discriminated against? He doesn't. All the employer has to say is we felt the other candidate was more of a fit in our organization. End of story.

If you list something you didn't do and they run a background check on you and find out you didn't work at company A, then you lied on your resume. You won't get the job. End of story.

There is no legal way to prove the company discriminated against you becasue you were unemployed. Remember, in court, they do not have to prove their innocense, you have to prove their guilt, and you won't have any legallaly admissible evidence to present in court.