Former employees of South Valley nursing home file discrimination claim

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With help from El Centro de Igualdad y Derecho, two former South Valley Care Center employees have filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board.

María Nevarez and María Perez formed the Las Marias Workers’ Committee after they say they were routinely discriminated against at work for their age and being non-English speakers.

According to a study by the National Council of La Raza, 1 in 4 Latino workers reported discrimination at work based on their language abilities.

Nevarez said she was yelled at, threatened and insulted for almost a decade while she worked at the South Valley Care Center.

Now, Las Marias are calling for a broader investigation into the center. They said they wanted to speak up not just for themselves but for others in similar situations.

KOB 4 reached out to the South Valley Care Center Sunday, but we were not able to get comment from them at this time.