CASE STUDY 1 – English Only Rule

A group of 18 Hispanic workers were hired as housekeepers in a Catholic university. These workers spoke little or no English and Spanish was their primary language even though some of them were born in the United States. Some, however, were bilingual. During the course of their ten year employment, the Director of Housekeeping prohibited the housekeepers from speaking Spanish and required that they “speak English only ” in the workplace at all times, even while at lunch and during employee breaks. They were constantly reprimanded for not complying with this directive. The workers complained that they had difficulty complying with the rule because they explained that they did not speak English and sometimes unconsciously lapsed into Spanish when conversing with same language peers. Nevertheless, employees who failed to comply with the English-only policy were subjected to repeated verbal and at times physical abuse, as well as ethnic slurs.

Please base your arguments from what you read and learned in Chapter 3 of the textbook.

In discussing this case, (minimum of two pages), please follow the format below:

1- Background Information

2- Description / Statement of the Problem

3- Discussion and Analysis of the Problem

a. Discuss the pros and cons of the “English only rule”.

b. In what dimension of diversity does this case fall and why?

c. Is this a workplace discrimination case? Please explain.

d. Was there a violation that was committed in this case?

e. If yes, cite the rule or law that was violated.

f. If no, please explain why you think there was no violation.

g. Can the workers file a case with the EEOC?

4- Recommendations

h. How would you handle this case, if it was brought to your attention?

i. What is your recommendation to resolve this issue?

j. How would you effectively manage this situation?