It is way past time to fight against unemployment discrimination, and how you can help

[ck4829]

On the heels of another dismal jobs report earlier this month, U.S Rep. Rosa DeLauro introduced the Fair Employment Opportunity Act, a measure to fight discrimination against the unemployed.

The bill would prohibit employers from ruling out applicants based on their employment status. DeLauro introduced the bill with U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia; it has 30 sponsors as of this writing.

“We have seen ample evidence that unemployed individuals are increasingly falling prey to discriminatory practices reducing their opportunities,” DeLauro said in a written statement.

NELP's Christine Owen called the practice “a perverse catch-22.” The report warned that discrimination against the unemployed may be even more pervasive than previously thought, noting that the discriminatory language showed up in job postings “throughout the United States … at virtually every skill level.”

http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/news/nh-fighting-discrimination-against-the-unemployed-20110726,0,5455583.story

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness OR the vicious circle of unemployment discrimination. We can not have both at the same time. What will we choose?

While this act is nice, can we really expect this to pass? The Tea Party and the Republicans will no doubt dismiss this as "SOCIALISM!" So maybe it's time we start taking the fight against unemployment discrimination into our own hands, here are some suggestions...

* Find out who these employers are and stop doing business with them.

* Employers don't seem to like it when they're called out on this practice, so be sure to ask them why exactly they don't want to hire the unemployed.

* If you are unemployed and see one of these ads, maybe you should apply anyway. What are they going to do, send the "You shouldn't have applied to this job" police after you?

* And if you're on a website where jobs are posted and see one of these discriminatory ads, don't just let it sit there. Report it, most job sites allow you to report discriminatory ads or ads that violate the terms of service. It may seem like a small way, but it's better than nothing.

This is a growing problem. And waiting for the 'job creators to trickle down' won't solve it for us.

[Ruby the Liberal]

1. I agree that the ads stating (basically) unemployed need not apply are inappropriate

but how on earth will they ever prove this?

I remember a case years ago where Denny's Restaurant colored in an O or an e or something on the application to indicate that the applicant was black. It took years (and a sting operation) to prove it. Denny's lost in the end, but it took a LONG time.

It is mentality that we need to change, and as big a fan I am of regulating these assholes, I just don't see where this is going to be effective.

/GlassHalfFull

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. Sadly

I have seen posts here on DU defending the practice.