Problem
Antonio and Maria are both employees of Atwill Corporation. Antonio is from Puerto Rico and speaks primarily Spanish. Maria is a Columbian citizen. While at work the two have frequently been overheard chit-chatting in Spanish. Maria is an accountant and Antonio is a programmer in the IT department. One day another employee, Joann, notices Maria appears very upset after Antonio leaves her cubicle. Although Joann was sitting next to them, she did not understand what they were speaking about because it was all in Spanish. Joann does not speak Spanish. Maria tells Joann that Antonio overheard his manager saying he was going to institute an English only rule in the organization because he was tired of people like Maria and Antonio speaking Spanish. The manager went on to say, "this is why we need to build a wall. Antonio and Maria need to go back to Mexico or learn how to speak English." How do you as HR handle this situation? What potential violations are there of the EEOC, and who has a potential claim?