When English at work is the rule

The NY Times has an article about businesses that formally or informally mandate the use of English only at the workplace. Spanish speakers seem to be the prime target of these regulations. If true, then they clearly are the result of anti-immigrant sentiment.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed suit against the Salvation Army for dismissing two Spanish-speaking clothing sorters.

Under the Civil Rights Act, rules limiting which languages can be spoken in a workplace are allowed only if they are nondiscriminatory and if they serve a clear business or safety purpose. In 2004, the Salvation Army decided to enforce an English-only rule after the sorters had been working in the Framingham store for several years, the commission’s complaint said. The commission found no such reason for the limitation. A Salvation Army spokesman declined to comment on the specifics of the case, which is pending, but the organization says it believes there is no legal basis for the suit.

Politicians like Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, have jumped into the fray. Last year, Mr. Alexander introduced legislation to prevent the commission from suing over English-only rules. After that measure died in conference committee, he introduced a similar one in December.

“This bill’s not about affecting people’s lunch hour or coffee break — it’s about protecting the rights of employers to ensure their employees can communicate with each other and their customers during the working hours,” he said in a recent statement. “In America, requiring English in the workplace is not discrimination; it’s common sense.”

In some industries, such as air traffic control, there are safety issues. However, language use should be primarily a management and human resource issue. If English-speaking workers feel excluded or gossiped about when Spanish speakers converse in Spanish, the solution is not to ban Spanish.

Wachovia Bank does things the right way. The bank offers services nationwide, and now overseas as well. Sharon Matthews, director of workforce policy, says, “We expect our employees to be able to speak with colleagues in English, but we also place a great emphasis on bilingual or multilingual skills."