Thread: Speaking Spanish Pays off in Raleigh

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?secti ... id=3761650

Speaking Spanish Pays off in Raleigh Eyewitness News

(12/27/05 -- RALEIGH) - Raleigh officials are making Spanish skills pay off for city employees.

The city is offering employees a $500 annual bonus for passing an hour-long Spanish test. The next text is scheduled for late January.
In order to pass, workers must have a broad Spanish vocabulary and understand how to use it in long conversations.

We need the emails and phone numbers for every member of the Raleigh City Council. They need to hear from us about this!

W

raleigh south or north carolina?

Raleigh, NC

How do you folks feel about denouncing this as racist or discriminatory on the part of the city?

W

I googled City of Raleigh - then I clicked on government -then on city council


The City Council is Raleigh's governing body, consisting of eight members who are elected for two-year terms. Three of the members, including the mayor, are elected at large, while the other members are elected from five districts. The City Council sets City policy, enacts laws and adopts the City budget each year.

Offices: Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex, 222 W. Hargett St., Room 209
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 590, Raleigh, N.C., 27602
Phone : (919) 890-3050 - voice, 890-3058 - fax

City Council Committee Assignments:

Budget and Economic Development Committee -- Co-Chairs Mayor Charles Meeker and James West, Joyce Kekas, Thomas Crowder
Comprehensive Planning Committee -- Thomas Crowder, Chair; Tommy Craven, Joyce Kekas, Russ Stephenson
Law and Public Safety Committee -- Philip Isley, Chair; James West, Jessie Taliaferro
Public Works Committee -- Jessie Taliaferro, Chair; Tommy Craven, Russ Stephenson

Philip Isley
Council Member,
District E
pisley@boyceisley.com

Thomas Crowder
Council Member,
District D
Thomas.Crowder@ci.raleigh.nc.us


Jessie Taliaferro
Council Member,
District B
Jessie.Taliaferro@ci.raleigh.nc.us

Tommy Craven
Council Member,
District A
tfcraven@nc.rr.com


Joyce Kekas
Council Member,
At-Large
Joyce.Kekas@ci.raleigh.nc.us

Russ Stephenson
Council Member,
At-Large
Russ.Stephenson@ci.raleigh.nc.us


James West
Council Member,
District C
Mayor Pro Tempore
James.West@ci.raleigh.nc.us
Charles Meeker
Mayor
Charles.Meeker@ci.raleigh.nc.us



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I need your feedback on this. Im considering placing an effort to contact the Raleigh City Council into tomorrow's activist package going out.

Penny for your thoughts.

W

I think it is utterly outrages. Most of them need to brush up on English, and public relations before worrying about Spanish.

it discriminates against americans in the area where spanish was not a language until the illegal invasion. it caters to the illegal population. The job will probably go to an anchor babie educated for free by the american taxpayer .

I think it is wrong. I believe this is open to all employees so even though you have a job with little or no public contact you would still get the bonus. They were talking about this on WPTF this afternoon. There was a caller who recently moved here from another state. The city where he lived had something similar. He said there were Hispanic employees who took the test, passed it and got the extra pay. Yet they were deficient in English!

I also just checked Wake County's employement site. They have three jobs listed that flat out say "APPLICANTS WITHOUT BILINGUAL SKILLS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED" and there is one job that offers an "incentive" for being able to speak Spanish.

http://www.wakegov.com/jobpostings/code/

It ain't right. It just ain't right. Do what you think is best William.