Spanish-Speaking Sephora Workers Claim Bias

New York City, Even though cosmetics retailer Sephora has obtained the court’s approval to restrict employees to speaking English on the job, five women have decided to continue with a suit that claims discrimination.

The five plaintiffs, who worked for Sephora’s now-closed Rockefeller Center store, claim they were punished for speaking Spanish with other Spanish-speaking workers and customers.

The Manhattan Federal Court just ruled in Sephora’s favor on the suit filed two years ago by the women—upholding Sephora’s right to issue an English-first policy—but has yet to rule on the plaintiff’s claims that they faced retaliation.

The class-action suit was filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of the Latino workers.