Today, we filed a federal civil rights complaint against the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) for violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin by any organization that receives federal funding. The term “national origin” encompasses discrimination on the basis of language.
Our federal civil rights complaint details the NYSDOL’s systemic failure to provide multilingual access to unemployment insurance benefits (UI) for New Yorkers who have limited English proficiency (LEP). New York is home to 2.5 million workers who are LEP, and this group is composed largely of immigrants and people of color. The NYSDOL failed to translate many documents vital to obtaining UI benefits into New York’s twelve most frequently spoken languages in violation of federal and state law, causing prolonged delays, inability to access benefits, and wrongful denials to LEP New Yorkers.
These vulnerable workers were forced to turn to community organizations for help with accessing unemployment benefits – something they shouldn’t need to do in the first place. Those who didn’t find assistance were denied benefits, turned to food banks, resorted to homeless shelters, or went hungry.
Language access gaps continue to deny countless immigrants and people of color the UI benefits they need to stave off hunger and poverty. We’re asking the federal government to hold the NYSDOL accountable for their failures, and order them to remediate their language access deficiencies.
No matter the time nor the place, we won’t stop advocating for America’s most vulnerable residents. I’m urging you to lend your voice in support of our efforts to ensure equitable access to UI benefits for everyone. Let me know that you stand with us by signing your name below.
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice advances racial and economic justice through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. We have provided legal representation and support since 1965.
