In a story published in Texas Panhandle, there was an incident.
that took place in Amarillo involving an employer Mr. Polk and .
two of his employees Mrs. Hernandez and Mrs. Gonzalez. The .
dispute escalated to an altercation that in the end cost the women .
their job. The incident produced an ethnic tension in the .
community and raised legal concern. However, both sides could .
have compromised and resolved their differences. .
.
In a small business setting such as an insurance agency it is .
perfectly ok to change the rules from time to time. According to .
the Polks both women Mrs. Hernandez and Mrs. Gonzalez have .
been warned not to speak Spanish in the office unless they are .
conducting business. Instead the women have chosen to ignore Mr. .
Polk request. The employer got irritated by the constant chatting .
in Spanish by the women during the workday confronted them .
with a pledge that he had asked them to sign. The women refused .
and the quarrel landed in a courtroom where Mr. Polk said that .
they deliberately walked away from their duties, and in .
consequences the women were denied unemployment benefits.
On the other hand Mrs. Hernandez and Mrs. Gonzalez said that .
they were dismissed because of speaking Spanish. The women .
also denied that the Polks ever made such request as to solely .
speak English in the office and also by signing the pledge they .
would deny who they are. Therefore, the women thought they had .
every reason to refuse to sign anything that the Polks handed to .
them. They felt that they were discriminated against and should .
not be denied unemployment benefits.
Both sides have good reasons to feel as they do. Mr. and Mrs. .
Polk on one hand, felt that the women were rude and neglected .
their duties intentionally and should be penalized for their actions. .
However, they could have introduce the rules to the women during .
orientation and have them sign. The Polks would have had a .
binding document right from the beginning and avoid this .