ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Two employees at a Whole Foods Market store in Albuquerque say they were suspended last month after complaining about being told they couldn't speak Spanish to each other while on the job — a claim the company says was a misunderstanding.
Bryan Baldizan told The Associated Press he and a female employee were suspended for a day after they wrote a letter following a meeting with a manager who told them Spanish was not allowed during work hours.
"I couldn't believe it," said Baldizan, who works in the store's food preparation department. "All we did was say we didn't believe the policy was fair. We only talk Spanish to each other about personal stuff, not work."
He said Whole Foods officials told them about company policy and issued the suspensions.
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