The Unemployed are Looking for Protection from Bias in the Job Field

The unemployed are looking for protection from bias in the job field. One of them is Selena Forte. She had been enrolled as unemployed for two years. Then she located a temporary job that was in tune with her qualifications in a delivery firm.

Forte is in her mid fifties and hails from Cleveland. But the person in charge of recruiting in the employment agency informed her that her application would not be considered because she had been without a job for too long! Previously she had been a bus driver.

Forte bemoaned, “They didn't even want to hear about my experience. It didn't make sense. You’re always told just go out there and get a job”.

Forte is now somehow surviving as a temporary substitute school-bus driver. She is part of the increasing number of those who are either unemployed or under-employed and are complaining of bias during screening of their job application. Some of the firms and the employment agencies prefer those who are already working or haven’t been unemployed for too long a period.

She could be entitled to help from a clause in jobs bill of President Obama that would prevent firms having more than fifteen employees from refusing job applications from those who are unemployed. The step is also applicable to job agencies and would ban them from inserting advertisements that would negate applications from persons on the grounds that they are not employed.

But the Obama bill will have to pass through a rough path in the Congress. The Republicans are strong in their opposition to it because of the plans to tax the rich and other provisions for spending. If the bill should stumble the Democrats would not hesitate to remind the voters that it was the GOP that placed hurdles to address the bias against them at a point in time when jobs are increasingly difficult to get.

This attempt to give protection to the unemployed has won praise from advocates fighting for the cause of the workers. The provision would allow those who think they are being discriminated against to bring lawsuits; the violators would be liable to be fined ($1,000 per each day) and made to pay for legal expenses.

However, Cynthia Magnuson speaking on behalf of National Federation of Independent Business said, “Threatening business owners with new lawsuits is not going to help create jobs and will probably have a chilling effect on hiring. Business owners may be conce
ed about posting a new job if they could face a possible lawsuit”.