English-Only Bosses Just Don't Understand  Dear Mexican: Where I
recently started working, Latinos make up about 95 percent of
the workforce. We are, however, prohibited from speaking
Spanish. Our supervisor tells us that if we can speak so much as
one word of English, then we cannot speak in Spanish. We are
constantly being threatened about it. My manager constantly
makes racial remarks about all cultures and always says that we
live in America and should only speak English. Is this illegal?
Is it against the law for employers to prohibit employees from
speaking Spanish? If so, then what can be done about it?
—Spanish-Speaking and Proud  Dear Wabette: The racial remarks
are illegal; the ban on Spanish isn't—with a caveat. The Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has consistently filed
lawsuits over the past 15 years against companies that require
workers to speak only English, saying that such a policy
violates Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits
discrimination based on race and