Florida-based Central Credit Services LLC and Pennsylvania-based Radius Global Solutions, two nationwide debt collection companies, have had a lawsuit filed against them by two former employees. The lawsuit alleges that the companies retaliated against Spanish-speaking employees for not using English and fostered a hostile working environment in which Latinas were regularly mocked and subjected to racist comments.
The employees, who are Latina, say they were ridiculed and admonished for speaking Spanish with Spanish-speaking call recipients; as well as for speaking Spanish among themselves. Even though their ability to communicate in the second most spoken language in the world was one of the reasons they were initially hired, their lawsuit claims they were disciplined and threatened with termination if they continued to speak Spanish. Additionally, one of their coworkers would reportedly sing the U.S. national anthem when he heard them speaking Spanish, and a supervisor would criticize them for watching Spanish-language television during breaks.
Regarding the lawsuit, plaintiff Catalina Taborda said, “My complaint alleges that my Spanish language skills were an asset to the companies because I could communicate with the companies’ many Spanish-speaking consumers. As I allege in the complaint, I feel as if the reasons the companies prohibited me and my Latina coworkers from speaking Spanish were discrimination and retaliation for asserting my rights.”
Taborda’s co-plaintiff, Carmen Monell, added, “I worked for almost eight years at these companies, and my speaking Spanish never interfered with my work. There was no reason for them to establish this policy.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the companies’ establishment of a “speak-English-only” rule violated federal and New Jersey laws which bar workplace discrimination against employees based on the languages they speak, unless there is a compelling and legitimate business reason for such a rule. Attorney Stacy Villalobos of San Francisco-based Legal Aid at Work, which is one of the firms representing the plaintiffs, said, “Many employers wrongly think they’re allowed to require their employees to speak only English on the job, when in fact that’s typically a violation of their civil rights.”
David Lopez of Outten & Golden LLP, a preeminent New York law firm specializing in employee rights and workplace fairness which is also representing the plaintiffs, agrees with Villalobos. “Singling out workers for derision and unfavorable treatment because of national origin characteristics such as language remains against the law,” Lopez said.
In addition to Legal Aid at Work and Outten & Golden LLP, Taborda and Monell are also being represented by the New Jersey-based firm Green Savits LLC. They are seeking back pay, damages, reinstatement, and other relief.
Danita White for TechFunnel.com
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