What do you think of this posh Manhattan building requiring English only ?
A posh Manhattan building has ordered all its employees to only "speak English" when at work - drawing the ire of workers who in some cases only speak Spanish.
London Terrace Gardens, located at 415-435 W. 23rd St. in Chelsea, issued a memo to its employees, ordering them to only "speak English in all public areas as well as on the [walkie-talkie] radio."
Answer:
When the Union and the workers objected they were told the following.
"It has been the longstanding policy of the building that employees speak English while in work-related areas, when in contact with residents and when using building-issued walkie-talkies," Rose Associates said in a statement.
"The policy in no way precludes employees from speaking languages other than English when engaging in private conversations.
Since the workers already knew this why did the still complain??? WHY ?
I don't see anything in the world wrong with expecting all workers in the United States to speak ENGLISH. 85% of us do.
To the "person" that said its not our land well lets see you or ANYONE try to take it from us.This is 2007 we live in the here and now not in a foolish dream of the past.The Mexican army got beat all the way back to Mexico City and this land is OURS.This is now and will ALWAYS be the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.And please stay where ever you live.you couldn't make it in America anyway.
Somebody didnt read all of the link did they?.You are so wrong about so many things that I dont have that much time to list them...
How much does it cost to move there? I am very interested in it.
It's coming MW...it's coming...
slowly but surely.
Everyone knows that the majority of Americans do not want the illegals here and if you can't speak english that is a clear indication that you are not legally here. At least not in the numbers that there are.
I am excited about everything that is starting to happen.
Maybe we will get our country back!
becuase the tennants pay a ton of money,,then they have to listen to the bellboy and the maid point laugh and stare while jabbing in Spanish,,,,you know when people are talking in another language it seems they are trash talking you,,it's becuse they are,,,and it's really rude
We are in America!!!!!!!!!and whats the language here? hmmmm ENGLISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...
Sounds great wish that was required on all US soil.
That is nothing new. Many employers, all over the US, who deal with the public have policies stating that employees are to speak English on the job. It is the employer's right to do so.
I think that it is a good idea. I even think that more places should do the same. I live in southern California and when I go into a store I don't know if the people that speak other languages are talking about me or not. They look at me and the person theya re talking to looks at me but i didn't do anything to them.
It seems a bit much, si? If a worker is talking with a resident, thats one thing, but private conversation among workers isn't the employer's business. And its not a good idea, either. Instructions need to be clearly understood and however that needs to be done, it needs to be done, if its in Spanish so be it.
It has very little to do with politics. It has more to do with the self conciousness of those who happen to hear the comments. The memo states only speak english in all public areas and as well on the radio, that means Spanish is still allowed in private. It also means that the company is trying to convince some of the tenants that the employess don't speak badly about them in a foreign language.
I have been accused of talking badly of other people when in fact, other people simply do not register on my conversations.
i think its wonderful...we are in america by the way...if they live and/or were born here,they should be able to speak english..if i lived there and i had to endure listening to their employees speaking in any other language but english..it would draw my ire
I sincerely hope they protest by speaking NOTHING but Spanish!
Let these imbeciles then try to fire them. Can we say LAWSUIT?!
What's this 'our America' rubbish? Your lot have only been there 200 years or more which is a blink of an eye, historically. The Mexicans are just reclaiming what is rightfully theirs and I applaud them. Personally, I wouldn't visit the USA if you paid me.
By the way, where do you think you would be with out these 'immigrants'? Would your daddy drive a bus or wash dishes in a hotel kitchen? You so-called 'patriots' should hang your head in shame.
Should be how it is in all of the USA
I like the rule wish it was a LAW
I have no problem with that at all. It is a private Establishment and people pay hard earned cash to live there and have the place run as they see fit. If you want a job in an area where only Spanish is spoken: might I suggest Mexico be 1st on your travel / job search itinerary
I think it ia GREAT!
First of all, English is not the official language in the United States. There is no legal official language in this country... English is only the unofficial main language.
Second of all, there are plenty of legal immigrants in this country whose English-speaking skills are not very strong - anyone who has had a TA in a math or science class in college ina large university probably has experienced this.
Third, although this is a bit besides the point, it does point to a certain mindset many Americans have: how many of you travel to non-English speaking-countries and use English? And expect to hear English in reply? Think that's just a bit arrogant?
Also: some of you want to "take back America?" From whom? Your own immigrant ancestors? Or are you all native Americans? They're the only ones who can complain here - they're the ones living with the legacies of being displaced from their land and way of life. Get a freaking life.
Now, to get to the actual question... do I think immigrants should have at least a decent grasp of English to work in this country? Yeah, that's reasonable, else how else will you communicate with them?
But to require that they not speak their native language to each other in private or when not communicating with a resident or native English-speaking employee - that's over the top. That's asking them to abandon their own language in the name of appearances, for the sake of maintaining an all-white, all-English, all the time "feel." This not only is insulting to anyone who does not fit the ideal "WASP" American ideal, it's hearkening back to the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries when anyone who wasn't white and English-speaking was pressured to fit more into the "ideal" mold. And this is beneficial for our country how? How are the residents of that building going to be affected other than in their own prudish sensibilities by hearing someone speak another language? Why should this be offensive to them?
Just to repeat since many don't seem to be aware of this:
THERE IS NO OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IN THE UNITED STATES! ENGLISH IS LEGALLY AN UNOFFICIAL LANGUAGE!
Don't believe me? Check my sources.
I think its great.
I'm by no ways saying that someone whom English is thier second language should not be allowed to speak their naitve language... just not at work (unless they are providing translation services of course). It makes things extremely difficult if the manager or supervisor does not speak Spanish. I manage a bank and two of the tellers there speak Spanish and English fluently. Whenever the two of them talk to each other they speak Spanish. There are issues with customers especially, because one minute one of the tellers will be speaking clear English to the customer and then will say something to the other teller in Spanish. Customers will FLIP OUT over this. I feel that I cannot even assure the customer that the tellers weren't saying anything negative because I don't know what they are saying myself.
Most americans find it irritating mainly because we (americans) don't know what they are saying and we assume that anyone saying something we can't understand must be talking about us (man we are self-centered).
I hope I'm wrong but I keep having the strange feeling that one day we are going to have a civil war about this very same issue.
Maybe they should check the legal status of all their employees. I bet they wouldn't have a hard time enforcing that rule if they did that first.
Well Well Well This is great! I think this is a good thing and for many reasons one being ....We are an English speaking country and if you don't like it (or can't speak it ) go home.
I really believe this is a god policy to enforce. Many people use language to speak harshly against someone else right in front of him/her. Maybe a couple of employees got caught talking about a guest? I stand behind the building for this reason. Now, if they were asking visitors to do the same, I would have other words.
English sound more professional when use it at work I can understand that. However if you're not at work and you are a ESL speaker, sometimes it's better to express your feeling in other language. ( Chinese has a diverse aray of expression that simply cannot be expressed in English.) You will understand personally how this feel if English is your second language.
Does that mean they kicked out all the illegal Mexicans living there. Some of those Mexicans had saved for years washing dishes just to live there.
I am glad you brought it up.There is not a day that I do not worry about the London Terrace Gardens. Having to hear that horrible spanish.
It's a reasonable requirement of employment.
Our language is English. If you went to Mexico and worked at a "posh" Mexican hotel, you would be expected/required to speak Spanish. As far as I'm concerned every hotel, motel, public establishment and all of their employees should be required to speak English. Kudo's to Manattan!!
Since it is and has been the standing policy, then anyone who wishes to remain employed there will abide by the employers policy.
Any who have a problem with the policy should feel free to seek employment opportunities elsewhere, none of them are forced to work under those conditions.
Some people would complain about being hung with a new rope.
The immigration information post by website user , MyTend.com not guarantee correctness