Unemployed folks being denied jobs due to poor credit. This is absurd.

[dumpdabaggers]

I live in Michigan, southeast Michigan. This area has been hammered by this economy about as bad as it can be.

My wife and myself have been out of work for quite a while. Michigan went into the tank long before most of the rest of the country. Other than temporary jobs, I have been out of work for close to three years. My wife lost her job of eight years in March of 2008. Her unemployment has now run out. We have gone through all of our retirement and savings.

We are way upside down on our house, and none of the so called "Save your home" programs apply to us. We are about two months behind on our mortgage.

The problem is that over the last five or six years our credit has gone into the toilet. Between trying to keep a daughter in college, the loss of health insurance, and all the rest, we are on the brink.

My wife has a degree in Business, graduated cum lade. She went to school at night as she worked full time. She worked at a bank where she managed a one million dollar cash vault. She lost her job when the bank was sold. We have numerous people to vouch for us.

Still, we have both in serious running for jobs but then do not get them after they run a background check. Everything is fine other than our credit. What really pisses me off is that we have paid off thousands of dollars in poor credit. What happened is that when we settled one, someone else would come out of the wood work wanting their money as well. When they did not get it they sued us and got judgments.

The problem with all of this is, how can you fix your credit if you can not get a job? Many companies will not hire you if you have been bankrupt. Places like Casinos, banks, etc, will toss your application if you have been bankrupt.

There is a house bill being sponsored by a Democrat from Tennessee that would prohibit companies from doing credit reports for the purpose of adverse hiring decisions. There is so far not a Senate sponsor.

I am serious, this is just another example of how the little guy is being fucked by the corporate rulers. I feel like we are part of a group of people who have been cast overboard. One of the reasons why we have stayed in Michigan is because we do not want to walk away from our house, our church, etc. I have paid over one hundred grand in house payments over the last ten years. Yet, I am still upside down.

Other than taking cyanide capsules, what in the hell should we do? While we have both had good jobs over the years, we have even applied at Walmart, and fast food. It is humiliating. I appreciate the things Obama and the Democrats have tried to do. They have stopped extending unemployment benefits. Hell, I would have been glad to work for mine if they had asked me to.

[AndyA]

1. I agree, it's crazy that bad credit after all that's happened can prevent qualified people from

getting jobs.

There should be legislation in place to prevent that from happening. And potential employers should be restricted from seeing all of the information on a potential employee's credit report anyway.

Isn't it a disgrace that the same companies who created this mess are still making it more difficult for people to get back on their feet again? After taking taxpayer money, they still have no qualms about stabbing people in the back.

I hope things turn around for you and your wife soon. Sending good thoughts your way.

[BunkerHill24]

2. proof your citizen vs. proof your credit!

mine oh mine!

[proudohioan]

3. Yes, it sucks big time......

And it happened to me as well. I felt violated and humiliated. No clean slate for the working stiffs, I guess.

Gotcha Capitalism at its finest!

[pauldg0]

32. Listen to this one.....

...My son lives in southeastern Michigan too.
. He lost his job at Lear Seating two years ago....
. They built seating for Dodge trucks, they closed up and all jobs went to China. The plant was in Taylor, Michigan.
. Since then he has lost his house and filed bankrupcy.
. In the last two years with some savings from Lear and money from a State of Michigan Program he went to wind energy school.
. The school M.I.A.T. was funded by State program called No Worker Left Behind ..NWLB..it was an extensive 13-month program.
. He was promised a job if he signed up.
. He graduated in the top ten of his class.
. Many months later the school contacts him and says Siemens Wind Turbines wants to send him to classes on the East Coast.
. It was to teach him how to maintain windmills, etc.
. They told him he had to travel and could only use a Siemens approved charge....they wouldn't let him use his own.
. So Siemens runs his credit through and they tell him he did not qualify and therefore cannot go for training.
. They said since he couldn't qualify for the card he couldn't work for them.
. GOD...was I PISSED OFF!!!
. How dare they do something like this!!! A German company dictating this.
. First of all the State of Michigan is trying to get people like my son back to work and not collecting unemployment checks.
. The school, MIAT in conjuction with the State should not allow a German Company Siemens do this to our citizens.
. Why is Siemens dictating the fate here....OBVIOUSLY SOMEONE DOES NOT HAVE ANY BALLS HERE!!!
. Shows you how Big Corps now own us and can still kick the little guy around. If Obama saw this he would be pissed.
. So the more employable individuals were maybe from more affluent families?? A high class rank is not important to Siemens!!

God please put your hand on these people and direct the mislead!!!!

[intheflow]

4. You think this is a recent development?

I know I've had my credit for job applications for over a decade now.

[dumpdabaggers]

9. It is not new but it is making it impossible for a lot of people to ever get back on their feet.

NT

[sandnsea]

12. It always made it impossible

for people to get back on their feet.

Funny how the very things people used to get told were their own fault, right on this board, are now worthy of Congressional Legislation.

I doubt they'll pass it without a cazillion waivers, banks most certainly being one of them.

Who do you have your mortgage with?

[Odin2005]

5. They just need to start bootstrapin'! *SARCASM*

:sarcasm:

This shit is so shameful! Poverty is being treated as if it were a crime!

[JoeyT]

15. Hell in this country

poverty pretty much *is* a crime.
I don't remember a time that it wasn't. (Of course I only remember from Reagan on.)

[Jennicut]

6. A practice that should be against the law. We have had big debts in the past too.

My credit is not the greatest either. Luckily, my husband still has a job.

[dumpdabaggers]

8. I appreciate the good wishes.

I am not telling this story to gain sympathy. I am just trying to use my story to show the kind of shit that is going on. They have made being broke into a crime.

While I know the tea baggers are mostly morons, I can see how they get duped into that crap. They are insecure and scared. They seek simple solutions to complicated problems. I am amazed that none of those Wall Street bonus babies have been dragged out into the street by an angry mob.

[Jennicut]

11. Seeking simple solutions is correct. They do not seem to get it that

their beloved "free market" society is anything but free. We are a consumer society, driven by big corps in all ways. That Rethugs wanted to twist the financial legislation into something it was not and teabaggers did nothing tells me all I need to know.

[HughMoran]

7. How absurd

I feel awful reading your story knowing that I've read other stories of people being denied employment due to their credit status. This bill you described sound very critical to me - we need to let our Senators know that this is a critical issue holding back employment for many qualified people in this country.

[dumpdabaggers]

10. It is very critical. Thousands of people are living in tent cities.

Like in Sacramento, Ca. How can they ever fix their credit with no job?

[cottonseed]

13. Get ahead of it. Explain it before any check is even done.

It's tough, but it's one approach one can try.

[Beacool]

14. I fully agree that it's absurd.

I was a supervisor for some years at a Fortune 100 and it was company policy to do background checks on prospective employees. There were some people who we wanted to hire that we weren't allowed to due to their poor credit. Most of these people had fallen behind in their payments for the same reasons as you and your wife. I always felt that it was an invasion of their privacy to check people's credit reports. These people weren't going to be handling money or have any payment authority (some were file clerks and receptionists). Why deny them employment?

I wish you and your wife the best luck in finding good jobs. In the meantime, take what you can get to at least be able to keep up with your house payments. Something is better than nothing and there's no shame in working at a job that is below your capabilities.

:pals:

[depakid]

16. The administration (not to mention the Democratc Congress) has the power to change that

With a few lines of legal code, here and there.

[Peacetrain]

17. That is just awful.. I am so sorry you guys are having this put on you..

You are right.. it is the little guys getting kneecapped. This has been going on for quite a while.. and the internet that connects us, also lets others have a peek into our lives that is none of their buisness in the first place

Totally a double edged sword for sure.

But I have never understood that process.. even Doctors now check your credit report when you change physicians.. and apts etc..

It is becoming a serfdom by information.

The more I type on this the angrier I am getting for you .. What a bunch of SOB's to do that to you.. :hug:

[lonestarnot]

18. Welcome to the slave labor market. I tried to warn folks but they wouldn't listen.

[tavalon]

21. What was it you warned them about and what didn't they listen to?

[Dappleganger]

19. No answers for you only this...

:hug:

The ways things are for the middle class and the poor is truly inhumane. It's all a design to keep you in your place while blaming you for being there at the same time.

[Fire1]

38. There is no "middle class." There's only the poor and working

poor. Reagan and Bush made sure of that.

[cornermouse]

20. Catch 22, updated and refined.

[The Damned]

31. Joe Heller would be proud!

K&R

[vduhr]

22. Yes, this has been in place for quite some time.

Although, I have never understood WTF credit has to do with one's ability to perform their job duties. Seems that credit has been confused with credibility in this country. Yet, the big bank execs and corporate CEO's have been ripping off this country for years, and are still doing it. Gee, but I bet their credit reports are spotless.

[cascadiance]

23. Perhaps apply for jobs in Oregon. Our legislature just passed a law banning employer credit checks

http://www.stoelrivesworldofemployment.com/2010/02/articles/states/oregon/oregon-legislature-bans-workplace-credit-checks/

The law won't go in to effect until July 1st, but I'm guessing a lot of places are going to avoid doing this like a hot potato as they know the rules are changing soon. Your wife might still get a check done on her if she applies to work at a bank, since there are some exceptions for jobs that require credit worthiness as a need for the job. But many other jobs shouldn't need this.

Jobs are starting to pick up here. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I could be soon getting an offer here now too.

Portland is also a great place to live for progressives too. No doubt someone wise like Thom Hartmann knew that when he moved here a few years back...

[flpoljunkie]

27. Good for Oregon! Even if the law won't go into effect until July 1st.

[sweetloukillbot]

34. I've read that several states are working on this sort of legislation...

Unfortunately AZ isn't one of them, and my wife, who has 10 years experience in finance and lost her job during the AIG meltdown has been unable to find work because of our credit now. Anything that involves money is pretty much a no go for her now - they think that if your credit sucks you're going to embezzle.

[mstinamotorcity]

24. I feel your pain

I too will be losing my job at the end of this school year.But this is not about me.You want some solutions. I know how much people love their homes and the security they provide. When a person loses their home it is like death (no offense to anyone who has lost a loved one).But you and your wife have something special.Each other. Maybe you should think about a short sale on your home. My sister and her husband did it and got from under that upside down house they were in. They had a house they had bought to fix up and rent out,and decided to move in while doing the repairs.The house was only eight thousand when they bought it.It was only a couple miles from their previous address. Without all those worries about their house and the enormous mortgage gone, I have seen a big difference in their spirit.I don't want you to lose your home and I wish you the best,but it is you and your wife that make a home livable,not the bricks and mortar. Being out of work is no fun and adds to the stress. Don't give up hope.Try some temporary agencies they usually have a lot of part time work available before the rest of the permanent employers. This is because companies that are now getting back to work are unsure of America's progress,so they use temporary staffing.You may do a little traveling and make considerably less than your qualifications,but it is better than nothing.Your wife may be able to score twenty hours and you may have to adjust to living off less income.Don't forget to grow a small vegetable garden saves a ton of money and more healthy for the both of you. And you will be able to share.Need some seeds or starter plants I am willing to donate.Send me email address inbox and I will gladly see that you get it.I don't have any answers that will make your burden light but I will be thinking good thoughts for you and your wife and family. Ms. Tinamotorcity

[reggie the dog]

25. no cyanide, grow marijuana and sell it to the medial clubs

[DailyGrind51]

26. In 21st century America, once you are down, you stay that way!

Unless you either win or inherit a $$bundle, it is damn near impossible to regain ground lost through long-term unemployment. He who signs the paycheck, makes the rules.

[SlipperySlope]

28. I hate to say it, but you might need to move...

Like you said, Michigan went into the tank before the rest of the country. It will probably come out of the tank before the rest of the country. Things are bad all over, but not as bad as Michigan all over.

Nobody wants to leave their home, but if you are both unemployed and upside down on your house then you aren't really economically anchored there.

My comments probably aren't helpful, but just wanted to give you food for thought.

[dumpdabaggers]

30. I agree. I appreciate your advice.

It is hard to do but it is coming I am afraid.

[Fire1]

39. Bingo! People are pulling up stakes here, left and right and I'm

not far behind. That's the best advice I could give anybody living in Michigan.

[Juche]

29. It doesn't apply to people at the top

Run a company or government into the ground financially and there really are no repercussions. Its a two tiered society. The handful of powerful people and everybody else.

[madchick44]

33. Another one of those "rules" that change behind closed doors

depending on who the job applicant is. Just like qualifying for a home mortgage in the "old" days. Certain people were denied loans based on strict criteria that was frequently wiaved behind scenes if you were a "desireable" family. It allowed the ugliest red-lining across the nation. I know this for a fact.

[rucky]

35. Plus, the FICO formula is proprietary.

It's owned by Fair Isaac and kept secret. Fair Isaac's customers are primarily lenders, so it's safe to assume the score is designed to compute your worthiness to borrow money.

That's pretty ridiculous on it own, but using it any other way - like to determine employment or character in general - is worse. Now we have a private company determining our ability to gain a livelihood and everybody in power seems okay with this.

[JCMach1]

37. And takes the place of due diligence... isn't that what happened with the shady mortgage business?

frakkin' hell!

Now they are using against everyone... Should be thrown out, but will never happen.

[ShadowLiberal]

36. I've heard of this, unless your talking a job with access to bank accounts it is a stupid test

Unless you're talking about a job that provides you an opportunity to steal cash from the company's bank account, or customer's bank accounts if you're a bank, I don't see the point of these background checks. Embezzlement does happen, it happened to my company a few years ago, but you don't need to look out for embezzlement with people with no access to your bank account.

I've read an article on this months ago, some idiot businesses think that in debt people are more likely to have 'other' problems, like being late to work and such, compared to not in debt people. The whole argument is crap I thought when I read the paper, I'm just lucky that I have so much money in my bank in case something like this ever happens.