Fired & Furious [Because She Can't Speak Spanish]

7 News Miami/Fort Lauderdale ^ | May 1, 2002 06:25 PM | Patrick Fraser

[DeaconBenjamin]

(WSVN) Zita Wilensky loves to help people. In fact she is a foster mother to kids with special needs.

Zita Wilensky, a victim of discrimination, says "Right now we have a little boy. We are in the process of adopting and he is learning delayed, but he is coming along great."

Professionally, Zita is not doing so well. She says, "I really do feel I was discriminated against and if I didn't I wouldn't be telling you."

Zita worked for Miami-Dade County for 16 years. The last two in the Domestic Violence Unit.

Her file is full of letters of praise, but she began to encounter one major problem.

She says, "I was referred to as the gringa, the Americana. Did they mean it in a polite way or a deragatory way? In some ways at times it was joking. But then it was like every single day and you know what? I have a name."

Zita was the only Anglo in the County Unit. All of her co-workers were Hispanic and she says they liked to play tricks on her.

She says, "My boss presented me with an envelope one day when the anthrax was going around and told me "come here could you smell this? This just came in the mail." Big joke in front of the whole department. Made me look like an idiot."

Then Zita was told she had to speak Spanish in the office. She was given 60 days to learn. After 30 days her boss disguised her voice and called her.

Zita says, "So she called pretending to be someone who didn't speak English. And when you could not communicate she fired you? Yes...that's how it happened."

According to a county document, Zita was fired for transferring the call to the clerk's office. Zita said she transferred it because she wanted what she thought was a Spanish speaking caller to talk to someone.

Either way, despite her protests, after 16 years with the county, Zita was fired and replaced by an Hispanic.

Now her question: can an Anglo be fired for not speaking Spanish on the job?

Howard Finkelstein, 7News Legal Expert, says "The Florida Constituion says that English is the official language of the government. So you can't fire someone simply because they don't speak Spanish and you can't fire them simply because they are Anglo. That's discrimination. That's illegal."

Howard says you cannot be discrimated against based upon national origin, religion, sex, and race. Such as blacks, whites, hispanics, asians, and on and on.

and howard says that includes the treatment employees like zita receive on the job.

"An employer cannot allow an employee to be subjected to racial slurs like gringo, or to be ridiculed or intimidated...thats called a hostile work enviroment and thats illegal."

Zita would like to go back to work for Miami-Dade County, not in the same office, but in a place where no kind of discrimination is tolerated.

When we talked to a county official, we were told Zita was fired because she transferred calls improperly.

They also deny she was fired because she was an anglo and she was not required to speak Spanish.

Her boss just requested that she learn Spanish. But contradicting that, this letter from her boss says its a necessity that she speaks Spanish.

Howard says if Zita sues the county, she has an excellant chance of winning.

Zita says right now she simply wants to find a job.

Problems don't discriminate - so race to the phone. We'll have an answer clear in any language.

[Luis Gonzalez]

A lot of points there Agnes, and very good ones at that.

Let me say this: I am proud off who I am, I consider myself a Cuban-American, I hate the hyphen, but I don't know what else to call myself. After all, I was born in Cuba, can't change that, and I am an American citizen (would never change that, even if Cuba becomes free I stay here), my nationality is different from my citizenship...that's just a fact.

My loyalties are with the US, I think that every immigrant needs to make that clear.

I don't begrudge Mexicans for retaining their Mexican citizenship, even when they acquire an American citizenship. I don't believe that if you are born an American, the government has any right to deny that you are an American citizen, under any circumstance, or for any reason whatsoever, even if you do decide to hold dual citizenship...not theirs to grant, not theirs to take, same with Mexicans.

The biggest problem that we have is the welfare system, for immigrants and native-born alike. It needs to stop, we need the sort of immigrant that's willing to work hard, and get ahead on their own. We need our own people to do the same.

Should we change the 14th?

No, that would give the government the ability to decide who is born a citizen, and who is not.

Think about it. Very dangerous.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Very few of the immigrants from Mexico or Central America are functional that the college level in Spanish."

You probably don't see the humor in that, do you?

BTW, throwing statements and generalizations around without any sort of support is rather sophomoric.

[southern rock]

We live in a world and interact with many foreign nations

It wasn't this woman's job to communicate with people in foreign nations. She was communicating with people in the state of Florida who were looking for taxpayer funded social services.

[TN Republican]

Putting the Florida Constitution aside for a moment, what's the problem with hiring a more technically proficient employee, regardless of whether the proficiency needed is in language or IT skills? If an English-speaking position is going to be made into a bilingual position, and it would be cheaper and easier for the employer to just hire someone who already speaks Spanish, then why should they train the employee on the clock? Getting rid of people who have been in a job for too long is a good thing - it saves on pension plan costs, at least in the short term, and it knocks the salary back down to entry-level. The only bad thing about firing someone in their 40's and hiring someone in their 20's is that the older person has probably already raised their kids, and still has some years of good health left before the insurance costs would become very burdensome.

[Washington_minuteman]

Luis, my friend. It's been a long time :-)

I've been without an Internet connection that worked well enough to make visiting FR (or doing anything else on the 'net) worthwhile until last week.

Just wanted to say hello and I hope to read some more of your wonderful writing real soon.

Take care & God bless you & yours.

minuteman

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Government employees should NEVER communicate with anyone in any language but English EVER."

That's what I was responding to. You did not specify that woman, you made a blanket statement about all government employees.

Make up your mind,are you going to discuss all government employees, or are you going to discuss this specific case.

English is a second language to me, and I am keeping up with the conversation. What's your problem?

[Luis Gonzalez]

This (a post from you) was the best thing that happened to me all day.

I am GLAD to see you back mi hermano, I've been concerned.

Luis

[vaudine]

My daughter worked for several years in a large Texas welfare office. She was one of a handful of blacks and whites--overwhelming majority were Spanish.

She was called "old white woman" so many times it got to be wounding and demeaning. She complained to Supv. who told others of her complaint and people got angry because she complained.There were jokes and tricks at her expense. She found out her immediate supv.(Hispanic male)had been transferred once for doing the same thing to employees elsewhere and had been on probation for it.

To make a long story short, she, another caucasian friend, and a couple of others were forced to resign or put on probation (where they could do nothing right)and were given reprimands not in accordance with policy--in other words, the supvs. stayed on their case, refused the help they were supposed to get and shortened the probation time frame.One black worker asked for transfer and got it. My daughter went to a civil rights person who was gungho to help; next visit, it was hohum, he couldn't do anything. She was forced to resign, then was denied benefits.

Her office mgr.had powerful friends in the Austin Dir's Off. and later got a big promotion along with her immed. Supv. after they had gotten rid of 5 or 6 non-Hispanic workers.

I hope this Miami worker sues them.

vaudine

[Luis Gonzalez]

Click on the Framboyán tree.

[Washington_minuteman]

Glad to be back too :-)

Before I run off here to fix myself some Spotted Owl stew for dinner, I noticed in one of your posts above this remark: "I consider myself a Cuban-American, I hate the hyphen, but I don't know what else to call myself. "

Try this on for size and see how it fits: American of Cuban descent.

My friend, J.J. Johnson refers to himself, when pressed, as an American of African descent, which is, after all, the truth. It does away with the hyphen and puts things in, what should be their proper perspective, don't you think?

Anyhow, gotta run for awhile now. Cookin' up the Spotted Owl to force-feed a tree-huggin' neighbor :-)

[Washington_minuteman]

Oh, thanks for the link :-)

[Polybius]

Most Cubans who have come to America have assimilated....

Well, I don't know about that.

I'm Cuban American but I have not assimiliated at all here in our town on the Left Coast.

My wife shaves her legs and her armpits, she doesn't wear Birkenstocks, we don't have rings through our noses, we are not vegans, we don't smoke dope, we don't believe in channeling crystals, we never gaze into our navels, we don't vote Democrat, I keep my kids out of public school, I am Politically Incorrect and our dog was named Dixie.

I refuse to assimilate.

In regards to the thread topic: The city needs to apologize profusely to the lady and fire that managers arse ASAP.

[Pelham]

Bush's let's-pander-to-espanol policy? You mean it's only those of us in the border states who get to see this in action?

[Pelham]

Isn't Castro calling you?

[paul51]

Now her question: can an Anglo be fired for not speaking Spanish on the job

Of course. This is America you know.

[Joe Hadenuf]

LOL!

[Pelham]

The 14th Amendment was passed to address the issue of the newly freed slaves. It had nothing to do with immigration, which certainly was a neglible issue in 1865. A Supreme Court decision years later included the offspring of illegal aliens, visitors, whatever. A new challenge based on the original intent of the Amendment might give a different result, much to the dismay of La Razists and Cuban fiction writers.

[Pelham]

I just love the way you tell us what our country is all about. When Castro keels over, not through any effort of the Cubanos who ran and hid in the US, I hope to get the chance to tell them that they have to speak English. And what their language and customs really mean. Just like a certain dope on FR does to the gringos here.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"I just love the way you tell us what our country is all about."

Our country? ROTFLMAO!!!!

"...not through any effort of the Cubanos who ran and hid in the US..."

I hear that you're losing YOUR COUNTRY to a bunch of illiterate, unarmed Mexicans.

And you talk about the Cubanos? We fought back...and were betrayed by the same people who sold us out before. You're just sitting in front of a computer bitching, and watching YOUR COUNTRY being taken from you.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!

[Don Myers]

There are far too many people who won't fight for their rights. These people just roll over and take whatever comes to them. Let us hope that this person is not one of these people. Because, that is how the minorities are defeating the majority.