NYHWA Update, February 2016, from Mike Schlicht [mikes@nyhwa.org]
The New York Healthy Workplace Advocates (nyhwa.org) are leading the effort in New York State to pass the Healthy Workplace Bill (HWB). The Assembly bill number is A3250 and the Senate bill number is S6438.
The HWB addresses bullying in the workplace, defined as repeated: verbal abuse, psychological abuse, work interference and/or work sabotage that prevents work from getting done or some combination of the three.
This message is being sent to provide an update on the activities of NYHWA and the status of the Healthy Workplace Bill in New York State.
[Note: Petition signers should read the information below about the importance of written Personal Statements. Those interested in doing more to support the bill should please consider sending statements to mikes@nyhwa.org. Those powerful tools will be delivered to legisators].
February 2016 UPDATE:
1. Lobby Days II – February 29 & March 1, 2016
2. Lobby Days I Update, Lobbying with UFT Solidarity Caucus
3. Send NYHWA Your Personal Account of Workplace Bullying
4. Volunteer Needed to Assist with Promotion of NYHWA on Facebook
5. Appeal for Unions and Professional Associations to Lobby
6. Check us out at nyhwa.org and Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube sites
1. Lobby Days II – February 29 & March 1, 2016
NYHWA will hold its first Lobby Days for the new legislative session on Monday & Tuesday, February 29 & March 1, 2016. We are not limiting the number of people as we have done in the past to participate in a lobby day event. If you are interested and can travel to Albany, NY on either or both days and are interested in speaking about your workplace bullying experience, please contact us at: Mikes@nyhwa.org
If you cannot travel to Albany, personal accounts of individuals are one of the most effective means of convincing elected officials to support the NYS Healthy Workplace Bill. If you can send your personal account by February 25th, we will be able to print it and distribute a hand delivered copy to all 213state legislators.
If you are willing to join us in Albany on February 29 and/or March 1 to share your personal story in confidence with elected officials and/or their staff, please email us at mikes@nyhwa.org. Your participation in the lobbying effort will be both effective and appreciated. Please consider joining us for this lobbying effort.
1. Lobby Days I Update, Lobbying with UFT Solidarity Caucus
On Monday, February 8th, twenty member of UFT Solidarity led by Francesco Portelos lobbied with NYHWA on the status of workplace bullying within the NYC teaching system. As we have heard before, many effective, dedicated and professional teachers have found themselves forced into early retirement, bullied into rubber rooms and charged with frivolous actions that have had a detrimental effect not only on their health and well-being, but on the children they effectively taught.
Legislators heard about the millions of dollars spent each year by the NYC Teaching System to bully teachers who effectively taught children for no other reason than standing up for the quality of the education their children received. In some cases, just asking about why their classes did not have textbooks for their students to use was met with frivolous charges and the teacher being exiled into a rubber room.
In some cases we heard, teachers were forced into early retirement to escape the workplace bullying they incurred simply because they were effective teachers who were nearing retirement. In another situation a teacher did win their case against the Department of Education and it was found that they spent over one million dollars defending a frivolous claim and returned the teacher to work, but not back into a classroom.
NYHWA thanks all the brave NYC Teachers who came to Albany to speak about their experiences!
1. Send NYHWA Your Personal Account of Workplace Bullying
If you can’t come to Albany in March to meet with elected officials, you can still participate in the lobbying effort by sending us a personal account of your workplace bullying experience that will be included in our lobbying packets. Personal accounts will be distributed to all 213 New York State legislators and the Governor’s office.
NYHWA asks that personal accounts be no more than 2-3 pages in length. Written personal accounts of workplace bullying experiences are an effective way that individuals can make a difference to educate our legislators about the various ways you were bullied in the New York workplace. In your account, you can either state your full name, first name and initial of your last name, or a pseudonym – whatever you are comfortable with. NYHWA has found that including the name or your town adds to the effectiveness of your account, as does including the name of your NYS Senator and NYS Assemblymember.
In your personal account, please consider stating the situation that you faced, the health issues you experienced, what the employer did, or didn’t do, and the financial impact on you and the employer.
You can verify the name of your NYS Senator under the “Find My Senator: section here: http://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator
And you can verify the name of your NYS Assemblymember using the NYS Assemblymember search here: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/search/
Please consider sending us your personal account of what you have experienced to speak up for the many people who cannot do so due to health issues, potential employer retaliation and unemployment. Be the strength they need to survive another work day! It is your voice and courage that collectively will pass the Healthy Workplace Bill in New York State!
1. Volunteer Needed to Assist with Promotion of NYHWA on Facebook
NYHWA is looking for a volunteer to help us utilize Facebook to promote the legislative effort to various groups and organizations in New York State. This assistance would include copying and pasting updates NYHWA sends to you to various Facebook pages.
NYHWA has a special Facebook account that was created just for this purpose so you would not have to use your own Facebook account to help with this endeavor.
If you are interested, please send us an email at info@nyhwa.org
1. Appeal for Unions and Professional Associations to Lobby
If you are a member of a union or professional association, please request that your group make the Healthy Workplace Bill one of their legislative priorities and to actively lobby for passage of the bill in 2016.
The Assembly bill number is A3250 and the Senate bill number is S6438.
During the 2015 legislative session, Professional Staff Congress (PSC), and New York State Unified Teachers (NYSUT) made the Healthy Workplace Bill one of their legislative priorities and actively lobbied for the bill.
Elected officials have told us that they want to hear from more unions in addition to organizations that have an interest in addressing workplace bullying such as mental health organizations, women’s rights groups, civil rights organizations and social justice alliances. Employees and from private sector groups are especially effective and hope you can join us for the 2015-2016 legislative session.
Please do what you can to help to meet this request. Thank you.
1. Check us out at nyhwa.org and Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube sites
To learn more about the legislative effort and to keep current with our activities,
please visit us at: http://www.nyhwa.org
http://www.facebook.com/groups/nyhwa/ http://www.pinterest.com/nyhwa
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPCOL6Mo0R6Y-vUUXWmcezA
Thank you for your interest and assistance in the effort to pass legislation to address workplace bullying in New York State!
Mike Schlicht State Coordinator (upstate) New York Healthy Workplace Advocates 5500 North Bailey, Ave, #43 Buffalo, NY 14226
NYHWA.ORG Mikes@nyhwa.org. Facebook.com/groups/nyhwa/ Pinterest.com/nyhwa/ Youtube.com/channel/UCPCOL6Mo0R6Y-vUUXWmcezA