People Wait For Tomorrow's UWS Apple Store Opening
Giuliani Livid Over Bringing 9/11 Trials to NYC
FIT Students Busted For Drug Dealing Get Probation
Oreo The Dog Is Dead, Blame Game Is Not
Pregnant Woman And Two Men Shot In Clinton Hill Drive-By
London Terrace Gardens, the imposing set of buildings on West 23rd St. has issued a memo to employees to speak English "in all public areas as well as on the radio". This is the second time in two years that management has issued such an edict to the building's staff, which is mostly Hispanic.
Rose Associates, the owner of London Terrace Gardens, said in a statement that the memo is a reiteration of a long-standing policy that "employees speak English while in work-related areas, when in contact with residents, and when using building-issued walkie-talkies."
Employees protested outside the building, considered the world's largest apartment complex when completed in 1931, earlier in the week. The union representing the workers, SEIU Local 32BJ says the policy violates federal civil rights laws. Doorman George Guzman is quoted by the Post as saying "How do we talk to delivery boys who only speak Spanish. I have to speak Spanish."
NY1 reports that some tenants in the building did not know the policy existed.
Photo of London Terrace courtyard from Zadignose on Flickr.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
What a ridiculous rule. And a waste of time.
Speak in English everyone
que el idioma no se pierda!
don't you see it ain't no fun
pa'l yanqui come-mierda?
That's so incredibly lame. Out here in the Southwest-- esp California, Arizona and Texas-- any idiot who pushes this English-only crap goes out of business in about 3 months, tops. In fact, you can't get a good job here, much less get promoted, if you don't speak very good Spanish.
Es decir, el espanol es la clave para mejorar su cariera y su vida en estas partes!
I'm especially puzzled that this sh*t is being pushed in New York, supposedly one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. If anything, this makes multilingual Texas look much more sensible than New York, which prides itself on being so open.
To all those Latinos at the London Terrace Gardens having to deal with this utter crap, my own advice to you: Don't put up with it. Either sue the sorry managers of the company, or just come around here to California, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas, or Florida. In all of these places, Spanish-language skills are extremely valued and provide a massive boost in career prospects and salary. And furthermore because of a number of laws stretching to the Mexican War, Spanish is equal to English here in all public places, including schools, libraries and government offices.
Ustedes estan bienvenidos aqui-- les invitamos a Uds., unir con nosotros aqui, su conocimiento y diligencia se vale mucho!
Oh BTW-- I'm not even Latino myself. I'm Filipino, but I'm proud to speak and write Spanish on a daily basis and count myself friends with the Latinos who've been here for centuries.
No deje que los idiotas racistas hagan asi!
If there's a good reason to require bilingual communication (such as international communications - talking to a couple of non-English aliens who deliver pizzas here in NYC is probably not a good reason), then I think it's a good thing for the workplace. However, English is the official language of ALL U.S. business related transactions, including discussions among staff or from companies to clients. If you can't understand useful English, no one should make any allowances for that - you should go to school and learn, just like generations of immigrants have in the past.
Ignorance of English in minority communities is becoming a problem, and it's hurting them, not us. I speak perfect English and can work as a janitor anywhere I'd like, effectively and legally. I'd like to see minorities have the same opportunities, but I can't do everything for them. Some things they must learn as prerequisites, and before all other people try to help them, they should learn to try to help themselves. The allowance of on-the-job Spanish conversation among people who have no business purpose of speaking it is an accommodation that encourages continuing rudeness, ignorance, and miscommunication.
I have nothing against Spanish in particular - I feel the same way about all Americans. Speaking English is a basic expectation here in America, and so there's nothing wrong with a policy making that official.
Also: just because it's practically possible in some places (learn Spanish + English and you can clearly communicate with Hispanics who don't give a shit about learning English) doesn't mean it's a good idea. It sets a bad precedent. Here, if every person from another country acted like such prima donnas, then us natives would need to learn at least 20 languages just to walk down the street at night. I think that state of affairs helps no one.
BTW, one good reason for a policy like this is that it prevents non-English speakers from having those nasty conversations among one another where they talk shit about a person of a different heritage who is standing directly in front of them, just because that person can't understand the language in which he/she's being mocked. I dare you to argue this with me; it's surprising how often I've seen this done! Force English in the workplace, and no customer has to worry that one of their client members is talking about how much of an asshole they are two feet from their face in some unfamiliar language. The other reason, of course, is because customers are probably unhappy that someone who they are paying to provide a service is unable to communicate with them meaningfully because they don't know English. To which I say, good!
I live in LTG and I am pretty sure that Rose Associates does not own LTG, they only manage it.
It'll be interesting to see where this goes. Used to be that assimilation took care of the 'language barrier' but now that it's a free-for-all and politicians are unwilling to stick their necks out, trying to get a HappyMeal often involves pointing more than talking. It's a shame but I really think this country will suffer if we don't TRY to have everyone speak english.
Sometimes I can't get help finding something in the supermarket because I do not know how to say the item's name in Spanish.