"Help wanted."
For millions of unemployed Americans, these two words are a beacon -- a light at the end of a dark tunnel in which they found themselves after Wall Street speculators wrecked our economy. For the unemployed, "Help wanted" means there is hope.
But we've recently learned an outrageous fact -- many employers are discriminating against the jobless by prohibiting them from even applying for open positions. Their "Help wanted" signs come with a caveat -- if you are unemployed, you need not apply.1
For millions of U.S. workers, such discrimination is shocking and devastating. And we must make it stop.
So now we need your help. We've started petition asking major employment websites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder to refuse ads from companies that prohibit the unemployed from applying - and it's already having an impact:By signing our petition, you can let employers know that discriminating against the unemployed will not be tolerated.
Late yesterday, Monster.com responded to our campaign saying that they “strongly oppose discriminating vs. the unemployed.” But, so far, they have still not committed to refuse ads from employers who openly discriminate against the unemployed.2 Help us keep the pressure on by signing the petition and spreading the word.
It's outrageous enough that 14 million Americans are out of work. But discriminating against jobless people who just want to feed their families and stay in their homes?
Employers should not penalize applicants for a job status that they cannot control, especially when prohibiting the unemployed from applying only compounds the issue.
We need to get America back to work. By signing our petition, you can let employers know that discriminating against the unemployed will not be tolerated.
Sincerely,
Drew Hudson
USAction/TrueMajority
1 -- http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/26/business/help-wanted-ads-exclude-the-long-term-jobless.html
2 -- http://insideusaction.org/aggprog/?p=409
1 comment:
This petition is misleading. As an employer using Monster for years, there is absolutely no way Monster can prevent an applicant from applying for any job despite the requirements stated in an ad. Nor, can they prevent an unemployed candidate from appearing in my candidate searches. Though a rather ridiculous requirement to make in a posting, and I don’t disagree with the petitioner’s argument, we as a people do not want more restrictions on our freedom of speech. Making another law telling me what I can or can’t say – is not going to prevent an employer from receiving the resume and making a judgment call. If it becomes law restricting statements that unemployed candidates “need not apply”, what will be next – restrictions preventing companies asking for unemployed candidates “to apply”? There are far greater postings requesting the unemployed to apply than the reverse. Or, worse, will companies be restricted from requesting resumes only from people with a certain degree or years experience for their scientist or physician job requirements! Come on….
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