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A government lawsuit alleges that the luxury Melrose Hotel told Hispanic employees they could not speak Spanish on the premises - not even during break time or to Spanish-speaking guests - and when they complained about it, the hotel's top manager told them "Adios."
The suit filed yesterday by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged that Barbara Garcia, 42, the Manhattan hotel's general manager, and Juana Velez, 36, the hotel's assistant director of housekeeping, and unspecified other Hispanic employees were subjected to a hostile environment that involved harassment.
The suit says that after complaining, Garcia was fired. Velez resigned, citing illness brought on by the stressful environment at the hotel on East 63rd Street.
A hotel official said the suit has...