It is arguably the epitome of unfairness: being denied a job because you have no job. To remedy this unfairness, the New York City Human Rights Law was recently amended to add a new provision, NYC Admin. Code 8-107(21), that prohibits discrimination in hiring against the unemployed.
The new law provides, in part, that unless certain exceptions apply,
an employer, employment agency, or agent thereof shall not base an employment decision with regard to hiring, compensation or the terms, conditions or privileges of employment on an applicant’s unemployment.
In a lawsuit filed Oct. 31, 2014, plaintiff Valerie White alleges that defendants The Solomon-Page Group and Alana Capone violated this law by not hiring her due to her unemployment status and in retaliation for complaining of discrimination. Specifically, plaintiff alleges that, while interviewing for a position at defendant, one of her interviewers told plaintiff that “I don’t think you can do this because you have been out of work for a year.”