Midwood Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte yesterday lambasted a healthcare employer and an upstate Pennysaver that allegedly violated Federal civil rights laws for advertising for a nurse and specifying ‘No Haitians.” Interim Healthcare, Inc. placed the help wanted ad in a Rockland County Pennysaver publication last Thursday, Oct. 15. “I am appalled and extremely offended not only by the blatant discrimination displayed by Interim Healthcare, Inc., but by the Pennysaver that allowed such an advertisement to be placed in its classified section,” said Bichotte. “As a Haitian-American elected official, this really hits home. I call on the State Department of Labor and Attorney General Schneiderman to file sanctions against this company doing business in the state of New York.” Bichotte, along with fellow Haitian-American Assembly Members Michaelle Solages (D-Nassau) and Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D-Suffolk) were notified about the ad by Rockland County State Sen. David Carlucci.

“State and federal law clearly states that employers cannot discriminate on the basis of race, color or national origin”, said Solages. “Both Interim Healthcare Inc. and Pennysaver should be held accountable.”

Following the publicity surrounding the ad both Interim and the Pennysaver publisher issued the following separate apologies. “We value the diversity of our patients and our employees. The ad in the Pennysaver for an LPN is totally unacceptable and is offensive to us and we know to all of you,” said Interim Healthcare President Katherine McNally said. ” I can assure you that we take this seriously. Please accept our sincere apology. In particular, we apologize to the entire Haitian community.” The ad was “mistakenly published without proper editing protocol,” said Pennysaver Board Chairman Sidney Sutter. “By no means does it reflect the opinions or feelings of the company.”

Interim Healthcare additionally said it has engaged an independent third party to conduct a comprehensive review, and that it will reassess its policies and procedures to ensure such an ad never again appears on its behalf. But Bichotte and other lawmakers are calling for a full investigation in order to understand if this was something that only occurred this one time or if this is in fact a pattern.

Flatbush Comgresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, who represents a large Haitian-American population in Brooklyn, called the submission of a job listing that excludes individuals of any ethnicity and the publication of such an advertisement was immoral and unacceptable, and a violation of state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination in hiring.

“This job listing recalls a form of discrimination that was once routinely practiced in the United States and should remind us that discrimination in hiring – whether explicit or implicit – remains a serious problem that continues to undermine opportunity for many Americans who are qualified to enter into a particular job or profession but nonetheless cannot find work,” said Clarke.

Clarke also urged a full investigation of this incident by the New York State Department of Labor, the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, and the Department of Justice to determine the reason this job listing was submitted and published, and the prosecution of those individuals who are responsible to the full extent of the law.