Thread: CT: Latino barbers want state exam to be in Spanish

Latino Barbers Want Spanish Licensing Exam
BY:
Lucy Nalpathanchil Published: 01/26/2009
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Latino barbers in Waterbury worry they'll have to shut down

A Latino group in Waterbury wants the state to change a licensing law for hairdressers that requires them to be proficient in English.

Juan Rodriguez Torrent is Chairman of the Latino-American Chamber of Commerce in Waterbury. He says there are about one-hundred Latino barbers and hairdressers in the city who will be affected by a city inspections campaign beginning this summer. Businesses that are found to be without a current Connecticut license will be reported to the state.

But Rodriguez says the crackdown will shut down businesses and take away revenue from the city.

"Many of them have licenses from Rhode island, New York, Florida. So they're not just people from the street cutting hair. Some of them have 25 years of service."

He says these same barbers and hairdressers never got their license because Connecticut law requires them to pass a written exam that's offered in English only. If licensed in another country, the state Department of Health requires them to pass an English as a foreign language exam.

Rodriguez says Connecticut should offer a Spanish equivalent given the growing Latino population.

"The Latino community has many people who don't master English. I don't want to say they don't speak English or understand English, it's that they just don't feel comfortable in English."

While the Latino-American Chamber of Commerce works with State Rep. David Aldarondo and the Waterbury Mayor's office to get the state to offer a Spanish equivalent exam, the chamber is also starting an English course for the Latino barbers and hairdressers.

This isn't the first time the english only exam has come up for discussion. In 2003, State Rep Minnie Gonzalez proposed a bill that would require the state to offer spanish versions of the barber, hairdresser, and cosmetician licensing tests. The bill never made it out of the General Assembly's Public Health committee.

http://www.cpbn.org/article/latino-barb ... nsing-exam

Whiners like this make me sick to my stomach! No wonder there's the perception that latinos are STUPID! It's because of crybabies like them!

Why are they even allowed to cut hair if they did not get a state license?!?! Shut them down until they pass the test! No other ethnic groups whine and moan as much as these miscreants! Makes me ashamed of MY ethnicity!

This is getting beyond ridiculous!!! go home if you can not learn English!!!

these are the pushiest people I have ever seen in my life, walk into our country and DEMAND DEMAND DEMAND!!!

It comes right down to the facts , its not they can`t , its don`t want to
speak english , don`t want to assimilate .

Why are they giving so many greencards to barbers anyways? (I assume they are all here legally).
When I lived in CT 10 years ago, the vast majority of Spanish speakers were from Puerto Rico, and the vast majority of those knew how to speak English (and are allowed to work obviously).
If there are hundreds of barbers who can't speak English well enough to pass that exam, then maybe they should have thought of that, knowing they must pass the exam to be employed as a barber, before coming to the US, or more specifically, to CT.

not any different then these illgals taking a test in English and saying they need an interpreter to take it. Then the interpreter just gives them the answers in their own language. This I have talked to others about and it has happened in other fields of employment as well as driver tests....which driver tests I believe they stopped that in some states. I know when I was getting mine renewed here in N Carolina the tester told them they need to be able to do it in English...

The libs will bend to this crap. It's racist to make this demand..it's like saying English is not good enough for us..or I don't want to learn English. Go back to where you came from ya bunch of racists!