A bookstore has courted controversy with a new policy requiring its staff to speak only English.

The Atticus Bookstore and Café, in New Haven, CT, made the announcement in November. Its staff is mostly Hispanic, reflecting the diverse make-up of the city.

A memo said that "the official and only language spoken on the floor and behind the counter is English."

Management made some concessions, saying "Spanish is allowed in the prep area, the dishwashing area and in the lower level. Let's make our customers feel welcome and comfortable."

But the New Haven Workers' Association says the policy is discriminatory. It is joined by Democrat Joseph Rodriguez of the local Board of Aldermen, who criticized Atticus's management for its "offensive tone and language."

He said the store's Spanish-speaking employees were "hard workers with a strong heritage and solid work ethic, indispensable to the success of Atticus, and it's unconscionable that the management would demean the employees and their culture in this manner."

The store and some of its customers have defended the action, however.

"They're chatting with each other in Spanish when they're waiting on me," customer Estelle Davis told New Haven's Channel 8. "I think it's rude."

Store owner Charles Negaro said the policy was an attempt "to improve overall customer service," and claimed he had been misrepresented.

In an official statement, Negaro said that "Atticus managers and staff are reviewing our policy of appropriate language usage to determine how we can avoid misinterpretations of this kind in the future."

24 January 2010