[Luis Gonzalez]

"Now her question: can an Anglo be fired for not speaking Spanish on the job?"

Therre are legitimate jobs within the government that can require people to be bi-lingual, or even multi-lingual.

Being bilingual couldn't possibly have been a requirement for her job when she was hired, she wouldn't have lasted all those years on the job. If the job qualifications changed to require bilingual employees, she should have been offered a transfer.

If the story is as she is telling it, her supervisor should be fired.

Having said that, I will tell you that people whom I have fired in the past claimed to never, ever having done anything that justified their being dismissed...or at least that was the story they told the unemployement board.

[ClassicConservative]

Likewise, based on my own experience as a government supervisor. It's entirely legitimate for a government agency to make the ability to be bi-lingual a condition of employment, if it's needed to provide services to the population. All other issues aside (which, if legitimate, are an entirely different story), if it's a requirement for that position for staff to be bilingual, and the employee was given ample opportunity to learn Spanish and failed, then what would be your position on keeping a government employee in place who failed to be able to do the job duties?

[ninenot]

Yes. The story is rather one-sided so far. However, even if this woman were the Wicked Witch of the West, the allegations she makes (if true) could at LEAST substantiate a 'hostile environment' charge. If she's over 40 years of age, somebody's gonna pay...

[BAware]

Then there are the employers that never, ever lie, right? They never discriminate at all. They never expect you to work without pay? They never make a pass at you, or ask for a BJ either. Oh no, employers are always in the right in the unemployment office, arent they?

[ohioman]

These people ought to learn to speak English or get the F*** out of the country.

[KentuckyWoman]

If the job qualifications changed to require bilingual employees, she should have been offered a transfer.

Uhh, excuse my interuption here but....no one in THIS Country, especially one who works for the government, should EVER be REQUIRED to speak a FOREIGN language. Those who come here should be learning OUR language not expecting to US to learn THEIRS'. PERIOD.

[southern rock]

Therre are legitimate jobs within the government that can require people to be bi-lingual, or even multi-lingual.

Bull. This is the United States of America. Government employees should NEVER communicate with anyone in any language but English EVER.

[Republic]

Wish we knew the real reason she was fired. Transferring calls she could not understand in order to help the caller reach information surely is not the reason. If it is....she needs to sue the hell out of that dept. Because she was harrassed (mocked) , if her story is true, and that stinks.