Posted on 05/03/2018 7:57:42 PM PDT by EinNYC
A grocery store in San Diego subjected Hispanic employees to harassment and a hostile work environment by implementing a no-Spanish language policy, federal officials said Thursday.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit alleging store managers at Albertsons publicly reprimanded Hispanic employees who were caught speaking Spanish. The workers were barred from speaking Spanish around non-Spanish speakers, even during breaks or when talking to Spanish-speaking customers, the lawsuit said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
no intiendo nada en espanol
Pick one.
Is the store responsible for what employees say to each other? Is sexual harassment still a concern? Are they supposed to ensure there’s no hate speech?
If that is the case, then certainly is reasonable to require employees to communicate in a common language so that all can understand (including management) what is being said and correct those issues as they appear.
Personally, I’m all for this lawsuit. Say that the store has no control over the method of communication between employees and also with customers. Indemnify them from any and all future lawsuits based on the theory that they should take corrective action over abusive or harassing language in the workplace.
Because it is absolutely an undue burden to require management to monitor conversations in up to a hundred different languages.
Now just for one rational judge to take a brave stand. Ask the question: Does the government no longer consider harassment in the workplace to be an issue that they are willing to make management deaf to the conversations employees are having by allowing them to use whatever language they choose?
Unfortunately the US does not have an official language. Many states presumably not Cal, have identified English as their official language.
“The conduct violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC said.”
The current EEOC may be wrong.
I don’t speak English, I speak American.
A boot is for kicking ass, not where I keep the spare tire.
“The official language of the United States is ENGLISH.”
There is no official language of the United States. There have arisen movements to make English the official language, but so far they’ve not met with success.
I have a pseudo-friend (was a ‘friend’ until he got what he needed from me) who was born in Mexico, and lives in San Diego. He is definitively anti-American, but benefits from US taxpayer money - including large US government grants. When the first World Trade Center attack occurred, his response was to comment that America was getting back what it was doing to others. He has benefited enormously from the US, and although he is a Mexican-trained MD, from a Mexican family of professionals, he does not practice medicine in Mexico - although he laments about the problems faced by the Mexican people. In short, he's a hypocrite. The American people are, in general, extremely giving and charitable, but are taken advantage of by those who hate them.
Nowadays in stores there is more Spanish being spoken clerk to customer than English sometimes. The clerks all speak Spanish to the Hispanic customers. English only speakers feel like we are in a foreign country. I need to learn Spanish.
It is insulting, disrespectful and demeaning to have co-workers speaking to each other in another language. It is meant to exclude and isolate.
I had it happen to me in 2014 and I complained. They cut it out....and this was a government office!
Thank you for mentioning the etiquette angle of this.
It used to be understood that it is RUDE to speak in a manner that might be hiding something from others in earshot. IOW, speaking a foreign language or whispering.
Now, no one cares about how insecure that makes others feel.
Hell, they could be plotting your murder right in front of you!
Years ago, c. 2003, a young friend of my sons was denied job after job in suburban VA because he didn’t speak Spanish. Two days ago I spoke with a friend who teaches in Montgomery County, MD. She said her school is going bilingual next year, and many on the staff are having to take an involuntary transfer, and she will likely be among them.
The long term effects of this are not good for the US.
I was in a big box store yesterday, looking for an item for which I had a coupon. I go up and ask a uniformed employee where that item might be found. The guy I asked started to gesticulate and utter a series of grunts. I soon discerned that he could not speak. Now why on earth would a store hire someone like that to work out on the floor, where he might have to answer a customer's question? I asked about this at the service desk, since I resented my time having been wasted. They replied that "they could not discriminate against him just because he could not speak". What kind of nonsense is that? Why would you hire someone who would have to answer customer questions as part of their job, who was unable to speak?
Happens in my college office.
Speaking Hawaiian. Front-desk receptionists interacting with students and staff.
The whole”discrimination” thing has gone way too far.
When this stupidity happens, know that it is liberalism (read anti-American undermining) driving laws that actually violate the natural right to association...hence discrimination.
We all should be allowed to discriminate, as persons and as the businesses that are run by those persons.
Just a few weeks ago I heard a story of a deaf girl working in a grocery shop who got hit in the head as she was stocking a shelf, when a lady asked her where something was and she “refused to answer” (because she was deaf). No excuse for violence but...
Agreed that people who don’t hear or speak probably shouldn’t be out among the public at a store.
I do love to see intellectually challenged people bagging and boxing groceries though. They tend to be very good and love their jobs.
I’d say you have a case of your office not being “inclusive”. That is against their PC culture!
Ask him to take you to the item.
There are many store clerks and other workers in Florida who are hispanic (obviously). A recent invasion of Puerto Ricans has only increased the number. Usually, when I come up to the cash register or the counter they switch to English as I am evidently recognized as a gringo. However, I must say I have never heard any negative remarks from them in Spanish. Occasionally, I run across one who doesn't understand and I switch to Spanish (it does come in handy).
Many do pepper their speech with swear words more frequently than anglos but that is common among most hispanics.
Try this if you have a co-worker who you consider a friend and is also annoyed by it. Start having discussions between yourselves in a totally made up language. Just look at each other and rattle off some Klingon like words and periodically sneek a look at the Spanish speaking guys and then look back at each other and snicker as if you just had a good joke at their expense. Do it just enough to get under their skin like they are doing to you and avoid speaking Klingon when anyone else is around. No one could ever do anything since no one would ever be able to determine what was being said. If they ever ask what language it is have something ready, like Barnoovian, and explaing that both your families are from the Barnoovia valley in southern Mongolian border region and that you were required to learn the dying language as children as required by Baroovian tribal elders as customs and traditions required. Then fart in their direction and tell them that it is consided a high compliment by a Baroovian and wait attentivly after informing that an equal or better reply is expected else it is considered a great insult. If someone trys to lie and say you said something you did not say in order to get you fired or something serious you let the cat out of the bag then and show them to be liars.
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