No Haitians Job Ad: New York Attorney General Set To Investigate Racist Job Ad [Video]
A nursing job ad for a nurse in West Haverstraw, New York specifically said, “no Haitians.” The no Haitians job ad was placed by Interim HealthCare Incorporated and appeared in the October 15 Pennysaver, a newspaper in Rockland County, New York. The company was looking for a specific type of nurse as the ad read “Laid back nurse, no haitians, must have strong respiratory mngt.” Interim Healthcare Incorporated was founded in 1966 and offers home health services.
New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, has opened an investigation into the racist ad.
“The advertisement violates federal and state civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in hiring on the basis of national origin.”
Schneiderman drafted a letter and sent it to Interim Healthcare Incorporated. In the letter, Schneiderman explained how the “no Haitians” job ad is illegal. In particular, the ad is a violation of civil rights laws which protect people from job discrimination. The attorney general has ordered Interim Healthcare Incorporated to remove the ad and to provide proof that the ad has been removed by October 22, 2015. The company also has to provide Schneiderman with the names of every employee that is part of the hiring process for nurses and nurses aides. Schneiderman is also requesting that the company provide all documentation that relates previous ads for employment and copies of any complaints against the company or its staff that relate to discrimination or harassment. The deadline that Schneiderman set for all the documentation is next week.
Senator David Carlucci has also spoken out against the “no Haitians” job ad.
“This is outrageous discrimination in its purest form. It is a direct violation of the Civil Rights act and is completely illegal! This company should be ashamed of itself, and Pennysaver should strongly reconsider running any job postings from Interim HealthCare in future publications.”
This help wanted ad from @InterimHealth posted in a local Pennysaver blatantly states no Haitians will be considered pic.twitter.com/gNLAhVUy9S
— David Carlucci (@davidcarlucci) October 18, 2015
A response to the ad also came from Haitian American Nurses Association.
“This is not just a disrespect of the Haitian nurses but disrespect for the nursing discipline and the entire community that have benefited from the services and care provided by the Haitian nursing professionals.”
Interim Healthcare Incorporated states that the ad is “totally unacceptable” and they have opened their own investigation in order to find out exactly what happened and how it got published. The investigation is being run by a third party that was hired by Interim Healthcare. They will also review all of their policies and procedures in order to ensure that an ad like this is never placed again.
How did this ad get printed in the Pennysaver? Sidney Sutter, Pennysaver board chairmen, says it was “mistakenly published without proper editing protocol.” Sutter also apologized to the Haitian community.
Job ad discrimination such as this “no Haitians” ad has existed for hundreds of years. In the 1800s, ads were placed that discriminated against anyone of Irish decent. These ads against any Irish people looking for jobs were placed in all the newspapers. Some people went as far as posting warnings on doors stating that no Irish need apply. Another group who has seen job discrimination ads were people of Polish decent.
Do you think the “no Haitians” job ad was a mistake or done on purpose? What can be done to ensure that these type of ads never happen again? Immigration and laws about immigration have taken center stage in the 2016 presidential campaign. Should the people who are running for president of the United States voice their opinions on this matter?
[Image via YouTube screen capture]
