New Bill Would Ban Discrimination Against The Jobless

by gettheminNOVEMBER Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:58 pm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/16/new-bill-would-ban-discrimination-against-jobless_n_836687.html

The Fair Employment Act of 2011 (H.R. 1113), drafted by Johnson and co-sponsored by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.), would amend the Civil Rights Act to make it illegal for employers to refuse to hire or to lower compensation for a person because of employment status. Johnson said he wrote the legislation because he was troubled by the ongoing phenomenon of job ads specifying that a candidate "must be currently employed."

WOW common sense, have not read that for awhile. Shocked

by Guest Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:09 pm

Sounds good ... and it sounds like it'll work. Unfortunately, employers just find new ways to skirt around having to employ certain demographic groups.

by keilowkei Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:10 pm

wouldnt they just give another excuse..Like over/under qualified to tall to short they would find a way to give a million other reasons..just like anybody with a brain knows the U.E. rate had to rise yet the say it went down same principle..I think..

by keilowkei Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:11 pm

kemcha wrote:Sounds good ... and it sounds like it'll work. Unfortunately, employers just find new ways to skirt around having to employ certain demographic groups.

exactly my point also

by Guest Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:48 pm

Smaller companies will have an easier time skirting some issues, large companies and corporations and any companies working in empowerment zones, industrialization zones or receiving city/state tax abatements will have a harder time doing so, they can have all their records reviewed in order to qualify for their specific programs/abatements. Some companies will find a way to get around any hiring practices, but they aren't companies we would really want to work for.

Remember, this is not going to last forever. Things will begin to turn around and when it does turn around, companies will be looking for qualified help and we will be in the majority and be able to pick and choose who we will work for. It will take time, but it will happen.

Keep positive and if you are interviewed by one of these companies, report them to the Labor & Industry in your state. Do it in writing. This is one of the many things I used to handle when I was working. They can't get away with it, but do because no one reports them on hiring practices. There are ways to make it stop. Regardless of what you may have heard, these are investigated, no names are named (unless of course you file a suit).

by gettheminNOVEMBER Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:04 pm

The Glass is sometimes half full folks. :000006: It is somewhat good news.

by Guest Wed Mar 16, 2011 11:57 pm

Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers cannot discriminate against applicants based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) introduced legislation on Wednesday that would add unemployed people to that list of protected groups.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/16/new-bill-would-ban-discrimination-against-jobless_n_836687.html

by Guest Thu Mar 17, 2011 1:21 pm

H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011
Sponsor: Representative Henry Johnson [D-GA]
Co-Sponsors: 16
Referred to the House Ways & Means Committee on Education and the Workforce March 16, 2011

H.R. 1113 - To amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of unemployment status.

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/bills/?billnum=H.R.1113&congress=112&size=full

by Guest Sat Mar 19, 2011 11:41 am

DesperateInRI wrote:H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011
Sponsor: Representative Henry Johnson [D-GA]
Co-Sponsors: 16
Referred to the House Ways & Means Committee on Education and the Workforce March 16, 2011

H.R. 1113 - To amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of unemployment status.

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/bills/?billnum=H.R.1113&congress=112&size=full

Please ask Speaker Boehner, Leader Cantor and your Representatives to support HR 1113
AND HR 589!

We Want Jobs!

H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011 34243

H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011 34243

by Nuwanda Sat Mar 19, 2011 4:50 pm

Finally a Bill that makes sense. Lets see if this ever sees the light of day.

by Carol in CA Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:53 pm

Civil Rights bill would protect unemployed applicants in hiring discrimination

Kelly Wiedemer
Denver Unemployment Examiner

http://www.examiner.com/unemployment-in-denver/civil-rights-bill-to-protect-unemployed-applicants-hiring-discrimination

by **Jobless_in_Ma** Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:02 pm

by Guest Sun Mar 20, 2011 11:27 pm

DesperateInRI wrote:
DesperateInRI wrote:H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011
Sponsor: Representative Henry Johnson [D-GA]
Co-Sponsors: 16
Referred to the House Ways & Means Committee on Education and the Workforce March 16, 2011

H.R. 1113 - To amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of unemployment status.

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/bills/?billnum=H.R.1113&congress=112&size=full

Please ask Speaker Boehner, Leader Cantor and your Representatives to support HR 1113
AND HR 589!

We Want Jobs!

H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011 3-18-111

by Guest Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:47 pm

I was watching MSNBC earlier and Dylan Radigan was talking about this with a guest. This is what we need. They won't hire us because they think our job skills are stale. McDonalds won't even hire us!

by Guest Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:47 pm

Amen. We need to remind employers of fair hiring practices.

It's pretty sad when we need benefits, job creation and now we need to have fair hiring laws enacted to protect us from those who won't hire us and someone has to hire us because we can't get help from our government. So how do we get the jobs they insist are plentiful, if the people who received the tax cuts to create jobs won't hire us. H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011 20799

H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011 20799

by lizalphonso Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:42 am

This bill needs to pass. In my area employers are becoming more and more blatant making statements in job postings such as "candidate will not be considered if not currently employed".

by Guest Tue Mar 22, 2011 9:48 am

Johnson: Change 1964 Civil Rights Act to Stop Bias Against Unemployed

As early as June 2010, jobs ads reading “the unemployed will not be considered” began to appear. This growing trend combined with several other incidents involving discrimination on those who are jobless, prompted Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson to introduce H.R. 1113 last Thursday. The legislation would protect unemployed individuals by adding language to the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act.

H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011 Mlk-lb10

http://www.crewof42.com/?p=5023

by Guest Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:20 pm

I think this bill is important to put us back to work, but I have questions about it. We all know that discrimination still exists today in the workplace among minorities and women. It is very hard to prove discrimination and hard to enforce. One question I will ask Congressman Johnson is how do they plan to track and enforce it? Is this just for long term unemployed or for all? What is the criteria for this discrimination and if this bill passes, how do we prove it?

It is always so easy for an employer to say "overqualified" or "not qualified" - will they be required to be more specific with these terms?

by Guest Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:28 pm

DesperateInRI wrote:
DesperateInRI wrote:H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011
Sponsor: Representative Henry Johnson [D-GA]
Co-Sponsors: 16
Referred to the House Ways & Means Committee on Education and the Workforce March 16, 2011

H.R. 1113 - To amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of unemployment status.

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/bills/?billnum=H.R.1113&congress=112&size=full

Please ask Speaker Boehner, Leader Cantor and your Representatives to support HR 1113
AND HR 589!

We Want Jobs!

Dylan Ratigan on discrimination against the unemployed, March 21!

Support HR 1113 - We want JOBS!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42201045#42201045

by Guest Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:51 pm

Please support this Bill. With everything against us right now, unemployed need not apply is not something we should even have to deal with. H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011 34243

by Carol in CA Fri Apr 22, 2011 1:13 pm

Regarding the employers who say they won't hire the 99ers because their skills are rusty.
When you think of it what skills do the younger generation who are just entering the work force have? At least the older workers who have been out of work for sometime did at one time have some skills. And it is easier to brush up on them then for some inexperienced beginner to first learn how to do anything. So I think this is just one more excuse for employers to get away with age discrimination. And hire the young inexperienced at a much lower wage.

by americatheneedy Fri Apr 22, 2011 10:47 pm

They already have a law against age discrimination for 40 plus and that hasn't been enforced so even if it passes I wonder if it will help.

by Guest Fri Apr 22, 2011 11:10 pm

americatheneedy wrote:They already have a law against age discrimination for 40 plus and that hasn't been enforced so even if it passes I wonder if it will help.

I was thinking the same thing. This kind of discrimination is hard to prove right now. With all the cut backs in government agencies, there won't be the staff or the time to investigate.

by JoanB Sat Apr 23, 2011 12:08 am

Jobless_in_Ma wrote: Added a bill tracker on the forum for this bill.

How does a bill tracker work?

by lendmeflight2 Sat Apr 23, 2011 2:05 am

This issue is not even about whether the unemployed have "rusty" skills. Big business knows that they are not going to re-employ everyone that is out of work. So, they want to make it sound like the people that were laid off were the "bad" employees. We all deserved to be laid off because we were lazy and not good at what we do. Who would want to hire these people?

It's wrong but it's what they are doing.

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H.R. 1113 - The Fair Employment Act of 2011