Brooklyn Pub Facing Fine After Craigslist Advert Asks For British Staff
A British pub in Brooklyn, New York faces a huge fine and a human rights prosecution after they advertised for staff from the UK.
The establishment, The Longbow Pub and Pantry, released an advert on Craigslist which stated “being British definitely works in your favour,” and now this has been labelled as discriminatory.
The post also states that they must know that the Old Firm refers to a soccer match between Celtic and Rangers and why Liverpool vs Everton is an important fixture too.
The New York City Commission on Human Rights has stated that their rules and regulations bans any advertisement that request applicants be from a single country.
The pub’s owners, Jennifer and Michael Colbert, now face a fine of around of around $8,000, which will be decided after a “conciliation meeting” between the pair and the council.
The Craigslist advert declared that their previous employee had departed because she wasn’t up to date with British culture. Mrs Colbert noted, “She was from Jersey. The customers didn’t take to her. She didn’t understand when they were making jokes. There’s a certain cadence to the sarcasm that just flew over her shoulders.”
They then asked her to leave the position, and their advert stated that they wanted “energetic and enthusiastic men and women with an appreciation of craft beer, good food, whisky and real football (a k a soccer). Being British definitely works in your favour.”
The Colberts have stated that they will be fighting the accusations, and they have even written a letter to the commission arguing their case.
The General counsel for the New York City Commission on Human Rights, Cliff Mulqueen, told the New York Times though, “There’s an argument that someone who works in a Chinese restaurant, for example, may need to speak Chinese in order to communicate with their co-workers. But there’s a difference between saying you have to speak Chinese and saying you have to be Chinese.”
Do you think the Colberts should be fined?
