We now have a hearing date

We now have a tentative hearing date in front of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development: Tuesday, June 25 (time to be announced).

We want to fill the auditorium with supporters who will wear orange to show their support of the bill. We’ll hold a t-shirt decorating event before the hearing to put such phrases on our shirts as “Work shouldn’t hurt.” We’ll show our legislators visually how much support we have for this bill.

So What Do We Do Before the Hearing?

We have one major goal before the hearing: we encourage our friends, family, co-workers, and more to attend the hearing. Let’s fill the auditorium!

While you’re at the State House that day, drop by your legislators’ offices (both your rep and senator) and tell them you want House Bill 1766, the Healthy Workplace Bill, to become law. If you can schedule appointments with them that day, even better. Whether or not you meet with your legislators, leave the following with their aides or them:

If you can’t make it on that day, e-mail this information to your legislators.

Then What Happens?

Once we pass this committee as we did last session, we expect to move onto a First, Second, and Third Reading in the House — where we stopped last session before the session ended. Passing the Third Reading in the House is a major accomplishment in getting this bill into law, but then the bill moves onto the same three readings in the Senate before it gets enacted.

Remember: most bills take multiple two-year sessions to pass into law. Thousands of bills get filed each session, but only a few hundred even make it to the House — but we’ve had one of them, thanks to your help in spreading the word. Don’t underestimate how much of a ripple effect telling even one person can have.

Now that we have a new bill number…

Now that we have nearly 40 sponsors on board and a new bill number, what do we do next?

The Process

Our next step is to get a hearing in front of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. We’re working behind-the-scenes to get a date for this hearing, and we expect a date in March or April.

Once we pass this committee as we did last session, we expect to move onto a First, Second, and Third Reading in the House — where we stopped last session before the session ended. Passing this step is a major accomplishment in getting this bill into law, but then the bill moves onto the same three readings in the Senate before it gets enacted.

So What Do We Do in the Meantime?

We have two major goals throughout this process that we can work on right now:

  1. We educate our legislators about unintended consequences of the bill. Thinking through making a bill into law involves thinking about as many potentially negative consequences as possible. Before creating a law, legislators have to consider consequences that we might not have considered. To alleviate some of their concerns, we suggest sending this flyer via e-mail to your legislators, particularly if your legislators are Republican.
  2. We keep this bill on top-of-mind for our legislators. The majority of the legislature will likely support this bill, but this bill may simply not be a priority. Our goal is to make the bill a priority. How do we do that?

Keep in mind that most bills take years (multiple two-year sessions) to pass, and we’ve come a long way considering that thousands of bills get filed each session, but only a few hundred even make it to the House. We’re making great progress thanks to your help.

Healthy Workplace Bill is gaining momentum in Massachusetts

Reblogged from Minding the Workplace:

Click to visit the original post

In the new 2013-14 session of the Massachusetts legislature, the Healthy Workplace Bill (currently House Docket No. 517; awaiting assignment of a bill number) is roaring out of the blocks, with two lead sponsors and 37 co-sponsors signed on as supporters.

The Healthy Workplace Bill is legislation I authored that provides a legal claim for targets of severe workplace bullying and creates liability-reducing incentives for employers to act preventively and responsively toward bullying at work.

Read more… 466 more words

Read the history of the Healthy Workplace Bill in Massachusetts from Professor David Yamada and how we've gained momentum in each legislative session.

You went above and beyond

On Friday, we gained 13 more co-sponsors — for a total of 37 co-sponsors and two lead sponsors — for a grand total of 39 petitioners. THIS NUMBER IS TRIPLE THE NUMBER OF SPONSORS WE HAD LAST SESSION AND ALMOST TWENTY PERCENT OF THE ENTIRE LEGISLATURE. We can’t thank you enough for your tireless work in spreading the word and calling, e-mailing, and meeting with your legislators. You are moving the needle on workplace abuse and employee rights. You are a part of changing workplace cultures.

Stay tuned for next steps regarding the bill and an official bill number. In the meantime, if your legislator(s) is on this list, we encourage you to send him or her a thank you note for his or her support of the Healthy Workplace Bill.

The list:
Rep. Ellen Story (lead, D-Amherst)
Senator Katherine Clark (lead, D-Melrose)
Rep. Denise Andrews (D-Orange)
Rep. Brian Ashe (D-Longmeadow)
Rep. Ruth Balser (D-Newton)
Rep. Paul Brodeur (D-Melrose)
Rep. Christine Canavan (D-Brockton)
Rep. Gailanne Cariddi (D-North Adams)
Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz (D-Boston)
Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera (D-Springfield)
Rep. Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen)
Senator James Eldridge (D-Acton)
Senator Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster)
Rep. John Fresolo (D-Worcester)
Rep. Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlborough)
Rep. Patricia Haddad (D-Somerset)
Rep. Jonathan Hecht (D-Watertown)
Rep. Carlos Henriquez (D-Dorchester)
Rep. Russell Holmes (D-Boston)
Rep. Kevin Honan (D-Brighton)
Rep. Lou Kafka (D-Stoughton)
Senator John Keenan (D-Quincy)
Rep. Kay Khan (D-Newton)
Rep. Peter Kocot (D-Northampton)
Senator Michael Knapik (R-Westfield)
Rep. John Lawn (D-Watertown)
Rep. John Mahoney (D-Worcester)
Rep. Brian Mannal (D-Barnstable)
Senator Thomas McGee (D-Lynn)
Rep. Paul McMurtry (D-Dedham)
Rep. James O’Day (D-West Boylston)
Rep. Denise Provost (D-Somerville)
Rep. John Scibak (D-South Hadley)
Rep. Carl Sciortino, Jr. (D-Medford)
Rep. Frank Smizik (D-Brookline)
Rep. Theodore Speliotis (D-Danvers)
Rep. Benjamin Swan (D-Springfield)
Rep. Aaron Vega (D-Holyoke)
Senator James Welch (D-West Springfield)

The number of co-sponsors we now have

THIS JUST IN: We now have ELEVEN legislators signed on to sponsor the Healthy Workplace Bill:

Rep. Ellen Story (lead, D-Amherst)

Senator Katherine Clark (lead, D-Melrose)

Rep. Ruth Balser (D-Newton)

Senator Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster)

Rep. Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlborough)

Rep. Lou Kafka (D-Stoughton)

Rep. Kay Khan (D-Newton)

Rep. Peter Kocot (D-Northampton)

Senator Michael Knapik (R-Westfield)

Rep. Carl Sciortino, Jr. (D-Medford)

Rep. Frank Smizik (D-Brookline)

If you don’t see your rep or senator on this list, please call or e-mail them by TOMORROW, JANUARY 31. Ask them to co-sponsor House Docket 517. Ask reps to ask Rep. Ellen Story to add them as a co-sponsor, and ask senators to ask Senator Katherine Clark to add them as a co-sponsor.

Find your legislator:

http://www.malegislature.gov/People/Search

LEGISLATIVE ALERT: Contact your legislators by Friday, January 25, 2013

LEGISLATIVE ALERT: Call or e-mail both your rep and senator and ask him or her to support House Docket 517, the Healthy Workplace Bill, by THIS FRIDAY, JANUARY 25. Spread the word: we are in the process of signing on co-sponsors and need as many people as possible to contact your legislators: http://www.malegislature.gov/People/Search

"Why is it taking so long to pass the Healthy Workplace Bill?"

Reblogged from Minding the Workplace:

It's a question I hear from targets of workplace bullying who, very understandably, wonder when we'll see direct legal protections against this form of abuse. I also hear it on occasion from journalists who may not be fully versed on the challenges of enacting new legislation.

Here's my short answer: Enacting groundbreaking legislation requires time, patience, and sustained effort.

A fuller explanation…

Read more… 553 more words