Nov 26, 11:58 AM EST

Jury deciding if Company was unfair to foreign workers

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Jurors in U.S. District Court will decide if a company weeded out Hispanic and Southeast Asian workers by offering a job skills test only in English.

Attorneys presented closing arguments on Tuesday in the nine-year-old case against NIBCO, an Indiana-based manufacturer of irrigation systems.

Workers' attorney William J. Smith argues that the test did not assess job skills fairly, and that managers knew workers spoke Spanish, Lao or Hmong.

The company's attorney says the lack of a common language is a barrier to communication, safety and productivity.

The 23 former workers are suing for lost wages and emotional distress

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