Virginia Bill Would Allow Employers To Fire Employees Who Do Not Speak English
Thursday, January 17th, 2008The Washington Post reports today that “a Republican state senator from Fairfax County [Virginia] has introduced a proposal that would allow a boss to fire employees who don’t speak English in the workplace, which would make them ineligible for unemployment benefits.” The bill was introduced ostensibly to protect employers from increased unemployment tax assessments in such cases. Even if the measure passes, the decision to terminate the employee would still have to pass muster with the EEOC (if challenged). The EEOC takes the position that a blanket English-only rule is discriminatory.
