Two Haitian nationals who worked for a cleaning company at Logan Airport allege that they were terminated from their jobs for speaking Creole, according to the Boston Globe. They have filed complaints of discrimination with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, claiming that they were singled out as opposed to other employees who spoke different foreign languages. One of the employees, Charles Pierre, told the Globe that he hears many employees speaking Spanish, and cannot understand why he and other Haitian employees cannot use their language.
While the state's anti-discrimination law does not explicitly protect the right of employees to speak the language of their choice at work, it does prohibit discrimination based on national origin or race. Punishing employees for speaking a foreign language, unless speaking English is necessary for the job, may be evidence of discrimination based on national origin or race.
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