The ASUI Senate discussed a resolution condemning intolerant and discriminatory treatment and policies directed at multilingual student employees.
ASUI President Nicole Skinner said in a statement the vote was in response to an alleged incident in which an employee of Einstein Bros. Bagel was told by a superior not to speak Spanish while on the job.
Sodexo, the company which runs the store and Vandal Dining, has said through a spokesperson there is no such policy.
Nicole Skinner | Courtesy
“Recent events involving Sodexo management of student employees has been discriminatory and intolerant of different cultures and on the UI campus,” according to the resolution by Pro Tempore Faustine Moulton, which was sponsored by Sen. Hannah Spear.
The bill cites the United State Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which has said policies requiring employees to speak only English in the workplace violates the law unless the employer can show that they are justified by business or necessity.
Michael Thomsen, Sodexo area general manager provided a prepared statement asserting there is no policy that forbids employees from speaking languages other than English.
“Consistent with the vision of the University of Idaho, we at Sodexo believe that all members of the community should feel ‘welcome, wanted, accepted, respected and supported,’” the statement reads. “Sodexo embraces the diversity of our employees, including their ability to converse in multiple languages with our diverse customers. We do not have a policy banning any particular language in the workplace.”
Multiple attempts to contact other Sodexo employees were not immediately returned.
Sen. Ivan Castillo is currently translating the resolution. Next Wednesday, the resolution will be presented to the Senate in both languages, he said.
“This bill is in response to policy that was enacted by Sodexo,” Spear said. “Sodexo reversed the policy pretty quickly, but I think it is still really important to make a statement about it and set an example of how we would like to make sure this topic is addressed in the future.”
ASUI senators said they believe it inappropriate to strip students or employees of their culture or language at UI, according to the resolution.
Ellamae Burnell can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @EllamaeBurnell