If this woman is looking for sympathy I don't think the majority of Americans are going to have any for her. It's the workplace rules, and you should know English if you are an America citizen. We speak English is America.


Woman Warned for Speaking Spanish at Work


Last Edited: Monday, 24 Mar 2008, 10:13 PM CDT
Created: Monday, 24 Mar 2008, 2:59 PM CDT

Julie Rios SideBar


VIDEO on link below.


by Julie Kirchem and Kevin Boie


A cell phone assembly line worker says she is afraid she could lose her job for speaking Spanish at work.

Julie Rios said she has received verbal and written warnings for talking in her native language, even though, she said, she was not informed about the rule when she was hired.

Rios, who was hired by temp company CoWorx, has been working at a North Texas plant for 10 months. But in February, she was issued a written warning about speaking Spanish.

The memo issued by CoWorx read: "You are being issued your first written warning for not adhering to company policy by speaking English only when communicating with others on the production floor."

Expecting a baby in May, Rios expressed concern about speaking out publicly against the policy. However, she said she felt compelled to do so because she believes it is unfair.

"This is my first language -- Spanish -- and it's hard for me sometimes when I'm speaking. I have to stop and think what I'm going to say in English," Rios said.

She said supervisors have been cracking down and told her she could not say "hola," but "hi."

CoWorx's parent company, Foxconn, did not specifically address the allegations made by Rios, but issued the following written statement.

"Foxconn is a minority-owned international company with numerous locations throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Due to the extensive diversity of the company and the great plethora of languages spoken at our various global locations, it is necessary to ensure that business meetings are conducted in a consistent language to ensure solid communication between all parties and avoid any potential misunderstandings."

Despite the policy, Rios claims some workers on the assembly floor can't speak any English and need others to translate. She also said that her coworkers who don't speak Spanish have not complained to her about her speaking another language.

"I don't think it's right. I have the right to speak whatever language I want … They knew we were Mexicans," she said. "They shouldn't have hired Mexican people."


http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages/Hom ... 1.1&sflg=1