InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
LOS ANGELES - Four Filipino employees who accused a Baltimore hospital of discriminating against them for speaking Tagalog at the workplace have settled their case for an undisclosed amount.
The Bon Secours Hospital “has agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to end the workers’ discrimination complaint," television reports here said.
“We’re almost done with it. We’ve signed the papers and it’s just a matter of paying us,” said Anna Rowena Rosales.
Rosales, two other nurses, and a hospital administrator were fired for allegedly speaking Tagalog during lunch breaks in 2010, according to the report.
Reports said the Federal Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) ruled last year that the Hospital’s English-only regulations discriminated against the four Filipino employees.
Rosales, Corina Capunitan-Yap, Hachelle Natano, and Jazziel Granada immediately filed a complaint, accusing the hospital’s management of singling them out. They said there were other employees of different nationalities who would commonly speak a different language but were not disciplined, the report said.
“Other employees spoke Spanish and other languages, contrary to the policies and were not disciplined,” said EEOC Baltimore field office Director Gerald Kiel in his report against the hospital last August 16. “In addition, it appears more serious infractions of work rules were not comparably punished.”
Kiel said the hospital subjected the Filipinos to unequal terms and conditions of employment, a hostile work environment, disciplinary action and discharge because of their national origins in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
He also urged the hospital to settle the matter with the Filipinos internally.
