A national origin discrimination lawsuit was filed by the EEOC against the Delano Regional Medical Center, an acute care hospital in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
The lawsuit, according to the EEOC, says the hospital prohibits Filipino staff from speaking Tagalog (or other Filipino languages) while allowing non-Filipino employees to speak other languages, such as Spanish. (WCxKit)
The EEOC contends hospital management subjected Filipino staff to a hostile work environment by singling them out for reprimands in company meetings, threatening them with audio surveillance, and encouraging other staff to report on them.
The Commission alleged the medical center’s directive created a hostile working environment with supervisors and other staff taunting and threatening the Filipino staff on a regular basis, creating tension between Filipino and non-Filipino employees.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California (EEOC v. Central California Foundation for Health d/b/a Delano Regional Medical Center, Case No. 10-CV-01492-LJO-JLT ), after efforts to reach a pre-litigation settlement failed. The suit seeks monetary relief in the form of compensatory and punitive damages, and an injunction against future discrimination. (WCxKit)
“Employers must ensure company policies are applied equally,” said Anna Park, regional attorney of the EEOC’s Los Angeles District Office. “Targeting workers of a particular national origin is not only illegal; it also erodes company morale, pitting groups against one another.”
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