The plaintiffs claim they were banned from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages while the hospital permitted other workers to speak in Spanish and Hindi. They seek to join a complaint, filed in August by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Kern County, Calif., which accuses the hospital of creating a hostile work environment.
Under state law, employers in California may require workers to speak English if there is a business necessity, according to the report.
Plaintiffs claim the hospital told Filipino employees they would install surveillance cameras to monitor their speech. Allegedly, fellow staffers routinely told the plaintiffs to speak in only English, even on their breaks.
Read the ABC News report on the lawsuit against Delano Medical Center.
Read about other lawsuits regarding hospitals:
– Physician-Owned Hospital in Indiana Sued by Former Owners for Conspiring to Defraud
– Employee Sues South Carolina Hospital Over Mandatory Flu Shot
– California Medical Association Sues Insurer Over Online Physician Ratings
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