CBS Denver A group of Hispanic custodians at the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver are claiming they are victims of discrimination.
They’ve filed a complaint against the campus operator that could be reviewed by a federal judge.
What started out as a miscommunication over a schedule change for employees working the graveyard shift has become a full investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
“Too many things have happened to me there that I don’t even know how to explain it,” said Auraria custodian Bertha Ribota.
Ribota said she was injured at work because she couldn’t read a warning sign that was in English.
“If I could speak English I wouldn’t have the problems that exist,” said Ribota.
Last week 12 custodians from the Auraria Campus filed an EEOC complaint against the Auraria Higher Education Center, which is the organization that maintains the campus for Metro State University of Denver, the Community College of Denver and the University of Colorado Denver.
“What is sort of a neutral business
practice, that they speak English on campus and it’s an English-only campus has a discriminatory impact on this group of workers,” said attorney Tim Markham.
The complaint accused the campus of purposely leaving employees that only speak Spanish in the dark on the terms and conditions of their employment, changes in their working status, safety and more.
When asked if it was a problem those employees were not being informed of those things in their native language, campus spokesman Blaine Nickeson replied, “I don’t know if that’s a problem. I think it’s one of the concerns. I will go on to say there’s not a statute to translate.”
Auraria Campus (credit: CBS)
Campus operators said there is no state law requiring complete translations. It is standard at other universities in Colorado.
The Auraria Campus believes employees should understand some basic English.
“It’s not our goal to provide every document translated or every conversation translated. Our employees are expected to interact with members of the public and that interaction we expect them to be able to understand English,” said Nickeson.
The EEOC could take several weeks to review the case. If they find actual damages the Department of Justice would get involved.
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2013/05/09/auraria-campus-hispanic-custodians-claim-discrimination/
I bet if they said “Free Food Stamps”, “Free Medical”, “Free Housing”, they understand just perfect!
BAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHA!!!! ROLMFAO!!! No shit, Smilardog.
To those bastards, I say, Wahhh!!!!Go back to your own country if you don’t want to speak English. We don’t even want you here. Kiss my ass! Comprende?
We no need no stink’in english!!! Reconquista… Baby! Obama for King!!!
bahahaha!(My wetback imitation)
This is easy, no english no job and tell them to pack their bags and send them back home where they can speak spanish all day long. It makes me sick that someone can enter the USA illegally then demand that they get citizenship.. Can I rob a bank and demand to keep the money… sign me up.
We need to take back this Country from the illegals and the illegal governemnt running it.
“Ribota said she was injured at work because she couldn’t read a warning sign that was in English.
“If I could speak English I wouldn’t have the problems that exist,” said Ribota.”
Bahahahahahaahaha!!!! I’m sorry, but that just plain lazy and bullshit. Anyone who goes to another country or even stays there for a day or so can easily tell what a warning sign says just by looking at it. They don’t even have to read it. It’s all in the symbol. And even then, if they really wanted to know, all it takes is a few moments to pick up a damn phrase or language book and find out.
Speaking as someone who has travelled to China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and so on. I never had to look up what a warning sign meant and if I did, it would take me less than 3 minutes to find out. I mean regardless of the alphabet or characters of the language, a “Wet Floor Sign” is pretty much standard in all countries by the color and how it is displayed. Same with a “stop sign”, “exit and enter” sign, etc. It’s not rocket science.
These Hispanics are just looking for an excuse to play the ethnic discrimination card. Either that or they are just really so damn lazy and dependent on the government for everything (which usually they are) that to even look at a picture book requires more brain power and thought process for them than they have probably ever used in their entire life. Like Idiocracy in overdrive.
What? Well …. I resent having to press 1 for English in my own damn country!! When in Rome, do as the Romans do!!!!
. . .
No shit. I agree, Cath. I hate that. Speak English assholes!
Where I work, 80% of the customers/shoppers are Indian, Russian, Asian or Mexican and no one can understand a damn word they are saying and the Mexicans are the most irritating as they complain and ask why no one speaks Spanish at the company. That REALLY gets on my nerves. EVERYDAY that I work there, I constantly ask my co-workers, “Can I get someone who speaks English, please? This is an English speaking country, right?” And everyone just laughs and shakes their head because they can’t believe our country has gotten this out of hand as they are constantly encountering the same problems and frustrations. I see it at the workplace and in the streets. People are quickly waking up to the reality that our country is no longer an English speaking country, but a Spanish and/or Multi-Lingual speaking country and it’s pissing the hell out of all of us Patriotic Americans. WE THE PEOPLE want our country back and WE WILL HAVE IT! WE THE PEOPLE SHALL PREVAIL!!!
To the Mexicans and Hispanics and the rest of you foreign legal and/or illegal immigrants, “You no speak English. You no enter or do business in our country. Got it?”
By the way, at my company, if someone asks, “Do you speak Spanish?”, we say, “No, but we can have someone call you back in Spanish.” and then after they say, “Ok”, we hang up the phone and never call them back.
Get used to it Mexicans! We’re taking back our country and our language. If you don’t like it, there’s the border 3 and a half hours away from Austin, TX. Have a nice life!
By the way, where I work, it’s ALWAYS the foreign non-English speaking Mexicans, Russians, Asians and Indians who are buying all of the HIGH-end items, while the black and white pure bread American National folks are always only able to afford the LOW-end items.
So tell me, what does that tell us about the state of our country and economy now? It’s not rocket science, people.
Sitting across the table from me right this minute is some Mexican talking on his cell phone in Spanish. Talk about timing for this article.
There’s three things they ALL understand.
Pepper spray, tasers and bullets.
I’m not prejudiced, just FED UP!!!
It’s not prejudice, it’s an invasion of our country! Let them keep buying high end stuff, and We The People will keep buying high end defense tools, and plenty of shtf supplies and we will see how this plays out. Once war breaks outs we will see a mass exodus for the borders
What I fail to understand is how the level of arrogance they display is in direct proportion to the level of being uneducated and the ignorance they possess.
The stupidity of some is simply astounding.
All this non-sense could be avoided by simply passing a law (or adding an amendment) that designates English as an “official language” of the United States.