I was recently offered a position with company based in North Carolina. I live in Los Angeles, so the position is remote. I accepted however in my New Hire packet I am expected to fill out and sign, the company is requesting authorization to pull a credit report that they “may choose to secure and use information obtained in either a consumer report or investigative consumer report about you obtained from a consumer reporting agency when: (1) considering your application for employment (2)making a decision whether to offer you employment, (3) deciding whether to continue your employment or (4) making other employment-related decisions directly affecting you.”
Before California I lived and worked in New York City and Colorado, all three have laws against using credit information to determine employment/promotion eligibility, so I was kind of shocked when this was requested of me (excuse my ignorance). There are some instances when it is legal like if the employee has access to more than $10,000 cash, or is in law enforcement or other government agencies dealing with finances, which definitely don't apply to me. While I'm not worried about them rescinding the job offer due to my credit (which is good, in case any one actually thinks that matters) but I firmly believe 1) this practice is an obvious form of systemic racism and classism that is used to prevent people from getting jobs who need jobs the most. 2) this to be an invasion of privacy, especially since the employer is asking for permission to pull this information at anytime during my employment. So down the line they could randomly pull a credit report, see something they don't like, and terminate me without warning. Although I am not a POC, I don't want to participate in this outdated hiring method that only serves to keep the poor poor and the workplace white.
So what are my rights here? Can I refuse to sign the permission request because of my CA resident status? I do need this job, I've been unemployed since August, and it's a perfect position for me. I don't want them to rescind their offer because I refuse to sign over all my private financial information. From my own observations the company seems to lean left when it comes to their practices, the industry just happens to be based in a light red state. So i don't know if this request is just a formality for all North Carolina employers, but not a major factor in their hiring decisions and thus wouldn't be a deal breaker if I didn't grant access, or if they actually use this information as a legal way to discriminate.
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer.