Firm, workers settle ‘no Spanish’ lawsuit
Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2007
A wet-wipe manufacturer with a plant in Springdale has settled a federal lawsuit filed by four Hispanic employees claiming their employer’s “no-Spanish” policy violated their civil rights.
The terms of the settlement agreement between Rockline Industries Inc. and the employees were not disclosed.
“The only thing I can say is that it has been settled,” said Charles Kester, a Fayetteville lawyer representing the employees.
Paul Gilker, a Mountainburg lawyer representing Wisconsinbased Rockline, declined to comment.
The employees filed the lawsuit in September 2005 in U. S. District Court, claiming Spanish-speaking employees were told they couldn’t communicate in Spanish in production and break areas, and that a certification test and training for the test were given only in English. Several employees were demoted because of their inability to complete the English-only training and tests, according to the employees’ complaint.
Rockline denied its policies were discriminatory and that training for the certification test was offered in languages other than English.
The lawsuit states that about 264 of the Springdale plant’s 800 employees were of Hispanic origin and have a limited ability to speak English.
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