Filipinos sue CA hospital over English-only rule

[samsungster]

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Elmora Cayme, left, reacts during a news conference Tuesday Dec. 7, 2010, where she and dozens of hospital

LOS ANGELES – Dozens of Filipino hospital workers in California sued their employer Tuesday alleging they were the sole ethnic group targeted by a rule requiring them to speak only English.
The group of 52 nurses and medical staff filed a complaint accusing Delano Regional Medical Center of banning them from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages while letting other workers speak Spanish and Hindi.
The plaintiffs are seeking to join an August complaint filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Kern County federal court over the hospital's enforcement of a rule requiring workers to speak English.
Filipino workers said they were called to a special meeting in August 2006 where they were warned not to speak Tagalog and told surveillance cameras would be installed, if necessary, to monitor them. Since then, workers said they were told on a daily basis by fellow staffers to speak only English, even on breaks.
"I felt like people were always watching us," said tearful 56-year-old Elnora Cayme, who worked for the hospital from 1980 to 2008. "Even when we spoke English ... people would come and approach us and tell us, 'English only.'"
A message was left at the hospital seeking comment.
In its lawsuit, the EEOC has accused the hospital in California's San Joaquin Valley of creating a hostile working environment for Filipinos by singling them out for reprimands and for encouraging other staff to report them. The agency is seeking an injunction to protect the workers against future discrimination.
[Rewind: Politician caught in English-only controversy]
The EEOC has seen an increase in complaints alleging discrimination based on national origin amid a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, said Anna Park, a regional attorney for the EEOC. That's especially the case in California's central valley, where a greater share of the complaints the agency receives relate to such issues than in the nation as a whole.
In this case, the current and former hospital workers filed a separate complaint under state law in part because monetary damages are capped by federal law, said Julie Su, litigation director for the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, which represents the plaintiffs. They want the English-only policy to be changed and for hospital staff to be trained on the new rule.
[Political candidate's statement: 'This is Alabama, we speak English']
Under California law, employers may require workers to speak English if there is a business necessity, Su said.
Filipinos sue CA hospital over English-only rule - Yahoo! News

[Ubejamming!]

2006 paman diay g implement nganu karon paman cla ni reklamo? -_-

[AmorsoloX]

its their place, its their rules..

ngano lage muadto.. mu reklamo pa jud.. tsk tsk tsk..

[Xilcher]

hadluk mga puti na libakun...di sila kasabut hehehe
mga libakera libakero man jud mga pinoy!!

Good news ni.. Retaliate ..sukol mo against racist americans!

[FranZeno]

its their place, its their rules..

ngano lage muadto.. mu reklamo pa jud.. tsk tsk tsk..

But it doesn't mean we get singled-out.

[Romeojin]

mao man na sa US, why work when you can sue hehe i wonder how much they will be asking di man daw enough ang federal capped monetary damage allocation lol

[reptoid]

If they feel singled out perhaps that was because they were more problematic than the other groups with regard to the language issue. Litigation is a bad idea because it could send a message to prospective employers that hiring Filipinos is too much hassle. Why couldn't they just follow the rules?

[Metz]

If they feel singled out perhaps that was because they were more problematic than the other groups with regard to the language issue. Litigation is a bad idea because it could send a message to prospective employers that hiring Filipinos is too much hassle. Why couldn't they just follow the rules?

ok raman siguro na bai kung wala sila gi single out. Fair application of the rule raman ila gipangayo.
as for being a hassle, daghan hassle sa US, maski unsa pana ethnicity nila.


show me the money! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
pwede na sila moretire after ani, apil na ila apo sa kumingking. assuming madaog sa kaso.

[BIGDANE]

even on breaks they cant speak tagalog?both my uncle and auntie they've experienced being kind a discriminated and insulted coz during break time they are talking and speaking in cebuano with a mix of INGLIS...so what if its their place? dont we have any right to be respected by those some racist americans? and what about the other languages specifically Spanish, why ive heard a lot of Spanish nurses and doctors on that LA hospital during their duty they're speaking in spanish...tsk.tsk.tsk

[kit_cebu]

its their place, its their rules..

ngano lage muadto.. mu reklamo pa jud.. tsk tsk tsk..

but the thing man gud sir is ang pinoy ra.... naa pay laing races nga wala anaa ug treat....
maytag sila tanan....