Thread: Austin quickly backs off plan to fire workers

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/n ... 7&cxcat=52

Austin quickly backs off plan to fire workers who fail proficiency exam.
By Kate Alexander

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, December 09, 2006

A short-lived policy in Austin's aviation department that would have required airport employees to pass an English proficiency test to keep their jobs was rescinded Friday.

Aviation director Jim Smith told employees in a Nov. 30 memo that the ability to read, write and speak English is essential to safety, security and customer service at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

"A functional level of literacy will be a job requirement for all Aviation employees and those who fail to demonstrate the necessary level of proficiency can expect to be terminated," Smith wrote.

The city backed off the most Draconian provisions of the policy in a memo issued by Assistant City Manager Rudy Garza on Friday. The memo clarified that participation in English language classes, which were offered in the original memo, was voluntary and English proficiency will not be a condition of continued employment.

"No employee will be terminated or asked to resign if they choose to not participate, do not complete the program, or do not successfully complete the program," Garza wrote.

This policy comes as local communities have jumped into the spotlight of the national debates on illegal immigration and English. The North Texas city of Farmers Branch recently enacted a battery of anti-illegal immigration measures and declared English the town's official language.

The federal Transportation Security Administration requires English proficiency of its screeners, but those workers perform very different tasks from the city employees.

The 340 city employees at the airport provide groundskeeping and facility maintenance, customer assistance and other services. Those workers are separate from employees who work for airlines and the federal government.

It is not clear how many aviation department employees are non-English speakers.

The initial program would have offered a free, on-the-job English language training program to employees who need to improve their language skills.

At the conclusion of the 48-week course, employees would have been assessed for English proficiency. Those who did not pass were told they would be let go, Smith wrote.

The training will still be available for aviation employees at a cost to the city of $40,000, but the high-stakes test will no longer be required.

The objective of the program was to ensure that all employees could provide high quality customer service and quickly understand any security changes. The city wanted to "highly encourage" the airport employees to participate, Garza said.

But the ultimatum in the memo was "just a misunderstanding of what was meant by 'highly encouraged,' " he said.

Smith was out of the office Friday and not available for comment, a city spokeswoman said.

The policy first came to light when the memo landed in the hands of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union that represents some city workers, including some at the airport.

Union officials passed it on to Council Member Mike Martinez, who began to ask questions of city management and the legal department Thursday.

"I was concerned about the potential legality of such a policy and what prompted a department director to move in a policy direction that could be viewed as potentially racist," Martinez said.

The voluntary program, which has the potential to help employees who want to improve their language skill, has his full support, Martinez said.

Garza said he hopes the clarification quells the anxiety of some employees.

"We are very sensitive to the needs of our employees," Garza said. "It is no secret that diversity in our community, diversity in our work force is one of our key values."

Union representative Carol Guthrie said many employees were fretting that their jobs were on the line, and she expects that there will be residual effects in the department.

"That's their livelihood, and somebody just threatened to take it away because they don't speak English," Guthrie said. "Come on, they're not going to trust" the department leaders.

Guthrie said this policy was moving forward unabated and could have been expanded into other city departments if it took hold in the aviation department.

"If these people had not had a union, this would have happened," Guthrie said. "I think Austin should be ashamed."

kalexander@statesman.com; 445-3618

It is not clear how many aviation department employees are non-English speakers.

Did they mean to say illegal immigrants vice non-English speakers?

"If these people had not had a union, this would have happened," Guthrie said. "I think Austin should be ashamed."

You know, these labor unions are really beginning to hurt our efforts! What can be done to stop union inteference?

I can understand someone here on a 'work' visa not speaking english, and they should be able to provide govt. proof of that, but anyone else who doesn't, would not have met the qualitifcations for citizenship, would they? And if so, wouldn't that 'mean' they are here illegally?