Say ‘Bagoong’ and You’re Fired

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Four Filipina nurses were apparently fired from their jobs at a Baltimore City hospital for allegedly speaking in Pilipino during a lunch break. Corina Capunitan-Yap, Anna Rowena Rosales, Jazziel Granada, and Hachelle Natano were dismissed on April 16.

The Bon Secours Hospital implemented an English only rule in the E.R. last November, because, according to them, the medical team working should be able to communicate as they deal with life-and-death situations. The nurses agreed and were made to sign a release called “Emergency Department Expectations”, which sets the length of their lunch breaks. On that same agreement, they also signed an English only requirement while the nurses are in the E.R.

According to the nurses, they were only speaking in Pilipino while they were on break and not in the E.R. They neither hurt anybody, no patients were neglected, nor did they disobey any doctors while they were in the emergency room. They simply think their rights were violated and were fired for no other reason other than speaking in a tongue that no English speaking person could understand.

According to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, this was a violation of their basic civil rights under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits job discrimination based on a person’s race, sex or national origin.

Granada was surprised when she, too, got sacked; she’s a secretary and not even part of the medical team. She doesn’t even know why she got fired.

You can read more about it by clicking on this link.

UPDATE (8/22/11) The nurses had since filed a lawsuit for discrimination. You can read more of the story here.

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