Back in April, we reported McDonalds was planning a massive hiring push to bring on new talent. The ubiquitous fast food corporation offered up 62,000 new jobs to a public hungry for work to much fanfare.

Despite the hiring success, there’s a bit of cold reality underlying this employment windfall courtesy of the famous golden arches.

Fast food franchises typically go about beefing up their staff for the summer months and once there’s the onset of fall, many people will once again find themselves looking for work.

So after taking these adjustments into account, McDonalds is really only looking at having added about 25,000 to 30,000 jobs to a cranky economy which has moved forward in fits and starts for several months now.

Unemployment data released by the U.S. Labor Department on June 3^rd shows a May addition of only 54,000 employment positions, way down from 232,000 in April.

McDonalds was more or less driving U.S. employment growth from April to May. Marketwatch had a discussion with Washington Bureau Chief Steven Goldstein who said “There’s a case to be made for the benefit of fast-food restaurant employment, but it’s obviously not the foundation for sustained economic growth.”

If you were to look at the economy from an architectural perspective, you might see construction, manufacturing and other vital industry sectors as the foundation, the steel rebar and concrete slabs holding everything upright.

It’s difficult to make a strong foundation for an economic rebound when everyone is simply too scared to make the kind of business moves to force industry of all shades and stripes to roar to life again.

The Washington Post ran an article on the anemic state of the nation’s economic recovery and quoted Bill Hall, a Dairy Queen franchise owner who summed up the start of anxiety gripping business across the nation:

“That uncertainty and that fear is the number one reason you’re not seeing job growth. Everybody is in a situation where they’re afraid to make a move. Unfortunately, that’s caused everything to come to a standstill.”

That sentiment brings to mind a story I read about during World War II where a commander, frustrated his troops were scared to advance on the enemy, lobbed grenades at them to provide the proper motivation to advance.

Hey, no one is saying we throw grenades at business owners to get the economy going. But when McDonalds is one of the leaders of the current economic recovery, perhaps some drastic and creative action is necessary.

Business owners and industry leaders need to light a blazing torch and sensibly brave the unknown than starve in a hole waiting for everything to sort itself out.

We’ve discussed credit reports in the past and how employers are increasingly using them to assess an applicant’s suitability for an employment position.

But this time around we’re not rehashing any arguments on an already sensitive subject.

Rather, we’ve come across a valuable blog article published in the New York Times that breaks down the process of disputing errors on your credit report.

Let’s face it, many of us might seem intimidated at the very thought of disputing an error on our credit report. The thought of dealing with Experian, Equifax and Transunion in a dispute situation is a scenario you might think would belong in a “Stephen King” novel.

New York Times writer, Tara Bernard, has written an insightful blog providing an essential step-by-step guide to approaching the task of righting a wrong on your credit report in a sensible and realistic manner:

Obtain a copy of your report through AnnualCreditReport.com. This site allows you to order a copy of your credit report through each of the big three credit reporting bureaus free of charge.

Don’t ever click on a banner ad promising your credit score “within seconds.” Rather, you’re likely guaranteed viruses or malware within seconds. Stick to the official channels.

Get it all in writing by filing a dispute via the postal service. While you can file a dispute online, it’s better to have hard copy documents on hand.

Bernard says that that paper trail will “help later on, say, if your problem isn’t resolved or if you eventually need to show a record of your efforts in court.”

She also recommends that you “Attach a letter that explains the problem, and provide copies (not originals) of any supporting documentation, like a canceled check illustrating that you made a payment.”

Not sure how to compose a letter for this type of matter? The Federal Trade Commission provides a sample letter on their website.

Three is the magic number. Send your dispute to each of the three credit bureaus even if you are aware that your credit card company is behind the gaffe on your credit report.

“That will give you the right to file a suit — against the creditor or the bureau — if either institution doesn’t resolve the problem.” says Bernard. “Due to a quirk in the law, you don’t have the right to sue if you simply send your dispute to the creditor.”

Once the dust has settled and the bureaus have completed their investigation, you are supposed to receive the results of said investigation and a free copy of your report if the dispute you filed has resulted in any changes to your report.

At your request, correction notices can also be sent to individuals or entities who have received a copy of your report including parties that obtained it for employment purposes.

Still feel like this is an unresolved issue? Your next step might be to enlist the aid of a lawyer specializing in cases applicable to the Fair Credit and Reporting Act (FCRA) which manages the actions of the big three Credit bureaus.

You can access the National Association of Consumer advocates to find a professional who can assist you in overcoming your credit dispute.

While we’ve summarized most of her key points, do yourself a favor and click through to the blog article itself to soak up additional details and resources.

No one should feel like their credit status is out of their hands. By understanding the essentials of the dispute process, you’re assuring your preparedness if the unthinkable ever turns up on a report!

Credit checks as part of the pre-employment screening process in California might soon be a distant memory as AB 22 passed the state assembly on May 19, 2011.

If AB 22 becomes law, it will ban employers from utilizing individual credit reports in the pre-employment vetting process.

Credit reports will however still be factored into a range of select professions:

• Any position with the State Department of Justice
• Any position in city or county government
• A sworn peace officer or other law enforcement position.
• Any position for which the information contained in the report is required to be disclosed by law or to be obtained by the employer.
• Any managerial position where a credit report would be substantially job-related, meaning that person would be a manager and have access to money, assets, or confidential information.

Because of legal and liability concerns associated with negative references, many employers will only disclose dates and title of former workers. As a result, employers reason an individual’s management of their finances and credit is a good indicator of character.

CA Assemblyman Tom Mendoza expressed sentiment echoed by frustrated job seekers who want nothing more than to find work but have been held back due to extenuating financial difficulties:

“A credit report is not a good indicator of a person’s trustworthiness or work ethic. Consider the condition of the economy and the negative effect these circumstances can have on a person’s credit, a credit report is an unfair lens through which to view job applicants”

Previous measures aimed at banning the practice were vetoed by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009 and 2010.

With similar legislation already having passed in several states and others working on similar laws, credit reports may soon be restricted to the range of employment opportunities where they are most applicable.

Stay tuned to IAmScreened.com for more updates on AB 22 as well as other stories concerning the fight to reform the role of credit reports in pre-employment screening.

California is stepping up to be another addition to the roster of 18 states in which lawmakers are presently working on bills to restrict or abolish the use of credit report information when considering an individual’s eligibility for employment during pre-employment screening.

Tony Mendoza, Assembly Member of the 56^th Democratic District, has brought California Assembly Bill (AB) 22 to the table, which, if made into law, would stop the use of consumer credit reports in the hiring process.

The bill would however make exceptions for certain employment positions including local and state government positions, law enforcement or a position where existing law mandates a credit report is part of an applicant’s evaluation process.

AB 22 will also make exceptions for jobs where a credit report would hold significant relevance to the duties being carried out. Examples include management positions with access to significant amounts of money, assets or classified company information.

In recent years many employers have turned to credit reports as a way to evaluate individual character since lawsuits and legal restrictions have made negative references from former employers a truly rare occurrence.

Many believe that employers’ access to credit reports is keeping thousands of Americans out of work who have found themselves the victim of hard financial times, industry downsizing and a job market that no longer has openings for them to get back on their feet.

How can you penalize someone whose credit has taken a beating from situations beyond their control? Naturally, there are individuals out there that are bad with finances, but are you going to assume everyone with a low credit score is undeserving of a job?

A press release from Assemblyman Mendoza reflects the frustration many unemployed Californians are feeling who just want a job and have their lives get back to normal:

“Many Californians are still experiencing financial hardships from the economic downturn including layoffs, increasing unemployment rates, and the continuing foreclosure crisis. All of these things make it harder for people to pay their bills. Consider the condition of the economy and the negative effect these circumstances can have on a person’s credit—a credit report is an unfair lens through which to view job applicants.” 

At present, four U.S. states have laws on the books that restrict or forbid the use of credit report information as part of the hiring process including: Hawaii, Illinois, Washington and Oregon.

If AB 22 passes in California, the West Coast will become a bastion of employment reform that will hopefully galvanize other states into following suit.

AB 22 passed an assembly committee last month and is presently making good progress. We’ll be watching to see if Governor Jerry Brown signs it into law.