Jan. 25, 2005 - In separate complaints filed with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, a mother and daughter contend they were discriminated against by the Red Roof Inn in Swatara Twp. because they are Hispanic.

Red Roof officials, in a written statement to The Patriot-News, said they have a "zero-tolerance policy on discrimination and harassment."

Sylvia Flores of New Bloomfield says in her complaint that she was a manager-in-training for eight months at the motel at 950 Eisenhower Blvd. Instead of being promoted, she was told to train the new manager, who has less experience but is of European ancestry, according to the complaint.

Flores also claims she wasn't promoted because of her age. At the time, she was 44 and the new manager was 23.

Flores charges that she was harassed because of her Hispanic ancestry. The new manager ordered a criminal background check on her, made "belittling comments" about her to other employees and told Hispanic employees they couldn't speak Spanish unless they were talking to a customer, according to the complaint.

At the time, Flores' son and daughter also worked at the motel, and that meant she "could no longer carry on a private conversation in Spanish with them," the complaint notes.

Because of the "constant stress" of the harassment, Flores says, she lost weight and had trouble sleeping.

Flores' daughter, Melinda Datil of Harrisburg, contends in her complaint that she was fired last July 27 for being 15 minutes late one day and for not calling in to report taking a sick day on another date. Datil says she called the motel's general manager to tell him she was sick, but he referred her to her supervisor, who she was not able to reach until noon that day.

Datil's complaint notes that another employee, whose ancestry she identified as "American," had left the motel's safe open, leading to the theft of $2,300, but that employee only received a "write-up."

Red Roof Inn's human resources department conducted a "thorough, on-site investigation" of Flores' complaints, according to the company's written response.

"We believe these claims are without merit and are confident our decision to terminate these employees was legitimate and without bias," company spokeswoman Kelley Johnson said.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will hold fact-finding conferences on both complaints, spokeswoman Laura Treaster said.

Both women's complaints also have been filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

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