July 26, 2007

The Honorable Cliff Stearns

United States Congress

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Congressman Stearns,

The signers of this letter agree that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has badly misread both the law and the views of most Americans by suing the Salvation Army for requiring its employees to better themselves by learning English.

We consider the EEOC's obsession with "one language in the workplace" rules both poor policy and a poor choice of enforcement priorities.

That the Salvation Army made it to the top of anyone's to-do list at the EEOC, given its vast backlog of cases, indicates at the very least a major failure of agency management.

The EEOC's complaint against the Salvation Army's English rules is also poor policy. Any employer can be sued by the EEOC for every word that any of his employees might use in the workplace. Accordingly, a "one language in the workplace" rule is a simple means of supervising employee conduct in order to prevent lawsuits claiming a "hostile working environment."

A "one language in the workplace" rule also helps protect employee health and safety. Otherwise, employees must remember in what language or languages they must use to warn their coworkers of imminent danger.

Both you and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn are to be commended for standing up for the Salvation Army, common sense and more reasonable EEOC enforcement priorities. Well done.

cc: Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn

Sincerely,

[Organizations listed for purposes of identification only.]

Jim Boulet, Jr. English First

Linda Chavez One Nation Indivisible

Phyllis Schlafly Eagle Forum

Ben Piper ProEnglish

Roger Clegg Center for Equal Opportunity

Tom McClusky Family Research Council

Paul Weyrich Coalitions for America

Don Wildmon American Family Association

Richard Falknor Maryland Taxpayers Association

Edward Nelson U.S. Border Control

Joseph Grieboski Institute on Religion and Public Policy

Mark Williamson Federal Intercessors

Larry Cirignano CatholicVote.org

Sandra Crosnoe Associated Conservatives of America

Ron Pearson Council for America

Alex St.James African American Republican Leadership Council