Politics

Salazar reluctant to wave Hispanic banner By Mike Soraghan
Denver Post Staff Writer

Washington - As he becomes one of the Senate's two Hispanic members, Ken Salazar is going to be pushed into a role he is clearly uncomfortable with: a high-profile voice for Hispanics nationwide. He may push back, at first. Salazar resists being labeled Hispanic in much the same way golfer Tiger Woods dislikes others' attempts to identify him with any single racial category. Salazar's might be a smart position to take in a state that's 75 percent white and only 17 percent Hispanic. But experts agree the political reality is that Salazar will have no choice. "For a public face of Democrats on Hispanic issues, he's it," said Jennifer Duffy, an analyst for the Cook Political Report. Salazar says he appreciates the support he's received from Hispanics for becoming, at the same time as Mel Martinez of Florida, the first Hispanic to win a Senate seat in 30 years, and the first not from New Mexico.

But he's never promoted himself as a Hispanic, and says he isn't going to start now. "It wasn't the Hispanic community that voted me in," he said. "I have to work on all the issues that affect the state of Colorado. I don't see myself working on a specific Hispanic agenda." He made the comments during a break in his recent whirlwind orientation sessions on Capitol Hill. Asked whether the media should go to him as a spokesman on Hispanic issues like immigration, Salazar pointedly said, "It's not fair to single me out." Minutes later, a crew from the Spanish-language network Telemundo spotted him in the hallway and he stopped to do an interview in Spanish.

High-pressure position The Hispanic community understands the balancing act that Salazar must perform, activists say. "No one wants to put any more pressure on Ken Salazar than need be," said Janet Murguia, executive director of the National Council of La Raza. "We know that his first priority is the people of Colorado." Though it could be politically dangerous to be typecast as "the Hispanic senator," he could get a fast career boost because both political parties vie fiercely for the Hispanic vote. Duffy, the political analyst, says it's inevitable that leadership will tap him to be the Democratic voice on Hispanic issues, and in fulfilling those duties, he'll gain influence. "Is he going to tell the leadership they can't put him out there on those issues?" Duffy said. "He risks losing Hispanics by not being a strong voice for Hispanics. If you raised money in that community, you can't walk away from that without some repercussions." "I see nothing but opportunities for Ken," said Federico Peña, former mayor of Denver and former Cabinet secretary. "I don't think he enters as the traditional freshman senator."

When Peña became Denver's first Hispanic mayor, some activists pressed him to name an all-Hispanic Cabinet "They were shocked when I said no," Peña, who campaigned on behalf of Salazar, recalled last week. "They weren't the majority, and they didn't understand the role a mayor has to play." That's the kind of pressure Peña figures Salazar will feel as he takes office. "There's truly going to be pressure," Peña said. "I faced it; Hispanics will say, 'You represent me even though I don't live in Colorado."' The same thing happened to Salazar's predecessor, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the only American Indian in the Senate and for many years the only one in Congress. American Indians from all over stopped at his office because they considered him their senator, too. Campbell alternated between reveling in his heritage and complaining about the strains of being asked to represent all American Indians. "He's always said you inherit a national constituency without getting the resources to serve a national constituency," said Campbell spokeswoman Kate Dando. "Still, he's certainly been able to do a number of wonderful things for the Native American community."

Walking the tightrope The pressure on Salazar can already be seen in the expectations of current Hispanic lawmakers. They expect to be able to call on him to "carry the water" for Hispanic issues they pursue in the House, such as immigration and a more Spanish-language-friendly federal government. They note that though the Hispanic community didn't vote him into office, it did send a lot of money to his campaign as he tapped into a national Hispanic fundraising network. "With many of the Hispanic Democrats, they'll see him as the focal point and will be looking to him to carry the water on Hispanic issues," said Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., a former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. "He had a national campaign; they were raising money all over the country for him."

But at least some Hispanic voters in Colorado agree with Salazar's stance. "I think he should look at all of Colorado," said Levi Gallegos, a retiree in Denver who was born not far from Salazar's hometown in the San Luis Valley. "We're not in favor of him going Hispanic. We're Hispanic, but we're about fifth generation already." While Duffy sees accepting the Hispanic leadership mantle as a way to build a national profile, she said it can go too far. "The problem is you get pigeonholed, and this is someone who wants to make a larger mark on the Senate," Duffy said.

Colorado College political science professor Bob Loevy said Campbell's role as a leader on American Indian issues was never a liability with Colorado voters. Similarly, Loevy doesn't expect a problem for Salazar, because as attorney general, he served his Hispanic constituents, but maintained a much broader appeal to an overwhelmingly white state. "He functioned as, for lack of a better word, a 'regular' politician, rather than a 'Hispanic' politician," Loevy said. Staff writer Mike Soraghan can be reached at 202-662-8730 or msoraghan@denverpost.com . ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Workers fighting English-only rules While still rare, cases brought against employers who limit language have grown 612% since 1996. By Jeremy Meyer
Denver Post Staff Writer Aurora - Luz Ornelas and Guadelupe Coronado say they were humiliated and degraded when their boss forbade them from speaking their native Spanish while working at a Family Dollar store on East Colfax Avenue. Not long after, they say, they were fired along with five other Spanish-speaking employees and replaced with workers who spoke only English.The women recently filed a lawsuit in federal court, saying their civil rights were violated and asking for unspecified damages.Employers in Colorado and nationwide are increasingly wrestling with language issues as the workforce diversifies.Claims against workplace English-only rules have increased 612 percent, from 32 cases in 1996 to 228 in 2002, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.But they're still only a fraction of the EEOC's 9,000 annual claims of national-origin discrimination. Legal experts say the number is low because workers don't know about the law or are worried about losing their jobs.The dollar-store litigation joins a recent filing against a Northglenn McDonald's restaurant, where the accuser says workers were forced to deposit 25 cents into an "English-only" cup every time they spoke Spanish. McDonald's corporate officials say they have no English- only policies.Federal rules forbid blanket English-only policies in workplaces. However, EEOC rules allow employers to have language policies if they can prove they're for a "business necessity" or for safety reasons.In general, the EEOC prosecutes only a handful of English- only cases every year.David Grinberg, EEOC spokesman, said more English- only claims are being filed as the workplace diversifies."We see it as a growing trend," he said. "We're trying to strike a balance between businesses and employees speaking their native language."Grinberg said the EEOC's mission is to help employers learn the law and not to become the language police.The most recent case in Colorado occurred last year, when the EEOC settled a $1.5 million case against a Black Hawk casino that required its mostly Hispanic cleaning staff to speak only English.The agency usually investigates claims and issues a "notice of right to sue," allowing individuals to proceed with litigation on their own.In those cases, courts have sent mixed messages - sometimes ruling for employees and sometimes for employers.Nevertheless, Denver attorney Leonard Martinez said he continues to hear from people wanting to sue. Many of those allegations involve English-only policies, he said."It's an area of the law that employers don't have a grasp on," said Martinez, who represents Ornelas and Coronado. "It's an issue that needs to be addressed."Ornelas is a 35-year-old single mother of two who worked for $8 an hour as assistant manager at the Family Dollar store. She is from Mexico City and has limited English skills.Coronado is a 36-year-old mother of three from El Salvador who worked for $7 an hour as a stocker and occasional checker. She cannot speak English. Both women are in the United States legally.The women said their bosses knew about their limited English skills when they were hired but later demanded they stop speaking Spanish in the store, which serves a predominantly Latino clientele."I don't want them to do to someone else what they did to me and humiliate my people," Coronado said recently through an interpreter.Family Dollar officials wouldn't comment on the case.English-only advocates fear increasing litigation is creating a chilling effect for businesses."These (cases) are going to continue to grow until we have a commitment to have everyone speak English," said Tim Schultz, spokesman and staff counsel for U.S. English Inc., a Washington, D.C., group dedicated to preserving English in the United States."Businesses should have a right to have their employees speak English," he said. "The solution is a bigger-picture solution: Make sure immigrants are learning English."Karl Krahnke, a linguistics professor at Colorado State University, doubts that will work. Most immigrants over 25 years old probably won't become proficient in a new language, he said. And it shouldn't be required, either, he said."It is unethical to require them to give up their first language," he said. "If I speak Spanish and we're close friends and you speak Spanish, to be forced to talk about our families, feelings, illness or whatever in English just because we're out of our house is unfair and unnecessary."