State council supports Altus city employees fighting English-only policy

<br>(Oklahoma City-AP) -- A governor's advisory council has expressed support for Hispanic workers who challenged an English-only policy for municipal workers in Altus. <br><br>The Governor's Advisory

Tuesday, January 27th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- A governor's advisory council has expressed support for Hispanic workers who challenged an English-only policy for municipal workers in Altus.

The Governor's Advisory Council on Latin American and Hispanic Affairs voted yesterday to send a letter expressing support for the employees.

The letter also will request that the state file a friend-of-the-court legal brief in the case.

The motion was proposed by council member Juanita Salazar Lamb and approved unanimously by the council.

A federal lawsuit was filed last year by some Hispanic employees over an Altus policy which says city employees must speak English during business hours.

City officials say the policy was drafted for safety reasons, mostly to prevent workers from speaking Spanish on city radios.