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U.S. GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT OF IMMIGRANT NURSE DISCRIMINATION CASE
The Woodbine Health Care Center in Gladstone, Missouri, has agreed to pay $ 2.1 million to settle claims of discrimination against Filipino nurses, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has announced. The suit was initiated by Alaine Villanueve, a registered nurse at the facility, and pursued by the EEOC on behalf of 65 other nurses. Each nurse will receive between $ 3,000 and $ 53,000 in back pay, depending on how long they worked at the facility.
The visa program was designed to provide experienced nurses in light of the shortage of American nurses and the changing patterns of healthcare. The program required the foreign nurses be paid the prevailing wage, but according to the EEOC, they were paid only half of what they should have been. According to Alaine Villanueve, the Filipino nurses were required to do the dirtiest jobs and the heaviest work, and were forced to perform unpaid overtime service. They were also paid only $ 7 an hour, while American-born nurses made $ 12-13 an hour. Furthermore, they were threatened with deportation if they complained.
EEOC attorney Robert Johnson says "it’s not unusual for nursing homes to make use of foreign nurses, especially Filipino nurses, because they speak English and are trained in the same way are nurses here. They’re seen as being able to be pushed around and paid less without them complaining about it." The fear of deportation certainly keeps many from complaining about unfair treatment, but EEOC officials note that there have been many successful cases, and hopefully this latest one will also encourage others to come forward if they are being exploited.