Back in February we highlighted union backed legislation that was pushing through New Hampshire. On June 4 it officially passed through the House and Senate.
Similar to the bill that whizzed through Tennessee, HB 0591 is limited to Public Employees and emphasizes the need to implement policies and training. We would all love to see stand alone legislation with all the protections employees deserve but this growing trend that focuses on finding ways to pass legislation has infused energy and movement into a previously stalled campaign. And, more importantly, workers are beginning to have protection from devastating psychological abuse. Union efforts in California has ensured that other states are not far behind. Hopefully legislators in New York and other states around the country will begin to adopt this winning template to protect their employees. Can private employers be far behind?
HB 591 – VERSION ADOPTED BY BOTH BODIES
20Mar2013… 0761h 01/30/14 0104s 01/30/14 0319s 4Jun2014… 1930CofC
2013 SESSION
13-0671 06/03 HOUSE BILL 591 AN ACT relative to an abusive work environment and the health and safety of public employees. SPONSORS: Rep. Schuett, Merr 20; Rep. J. Schmidt, Hills 28; Rep. Davis, Merr 20; Rep. Turcotte, Merr 22; Rep. Emerson, Ches 11; Rep. Irwin, Sull 6; Rep. Gale, Hills 28; Rep. Alicea, Merr 8 COMMITTEE: Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services
This bill prohibits abusive work environments for public employees. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics. Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.] Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type. 20Mar2013… 0761h 01/30/14 0104s 01/30/14 0319s 4Jun2014… 1930CofC 13-0671 06/03
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Thirteen
AN ACT relative to an abusive work environment and the health and safety of public employees.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Abusive Work Environment; Purpose Statement. The state of New Hampshire is committed to providing a positive work environment for state employees free from intimidation, ridicule, and harassment. The abuse of employees in the workplace is declared to be against public policy. Such harassment can inflict serious harm upon targeted employees such as increased stress and anxiety, concentration problems, loss of self-confidence and reduced performance, reduced quality of family life, depression, or a sense of isolation, and in extreme cases, risk of suicide. Abusive work environments can have serious consequences for employers including reduced employee productivity and morale, higher turnover and absenteeism rates, unsafe work environment, and increases in medical and worker compensation claims. If mistreated employees who have been subjected to abusive treatment at work cannot establish that the behavior was motivated by race, creed, color, age, marital status, familial status, physical or mental disability, or national origin, they are unlikely to be protected by the law against such treatment. Protection from abusive work environments should not be limited to behavior grounded in protected class status as that provided by employment discrimination statutes, and there does not exist in New Hampshire law appropriate pathways to provide adequate relief to employees who have been harmed by abusive environments. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent and respond to abusive mistreatment of state employees at work. 2 Abusive Work Environments. Amend the chapter heading of RSA 275-E to read as follows:
CHAPTER 275-E
WHISTLEBLOWERS’ PROTECTION ACT AND ABUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENTS
3 New Subdivision; Abusive Work Environment. Amend RSA 275-E by inserting after section 9 the following new subdivision:
Abusive Work Environment
275-E:10 Definitions. In this subdivision: I. “Abusive conduct” means a pattern of incidents involving written, verbal, or electronic communications, or physical acts or gestures, or any combination thereof, directed at another employee or group of employees which intimidates, degrades, or humiliates the target. Such incidents may be overt or covert behavior, or both. Abusive conduct includes but is not limited to: (a) Constant and harsh displays of disrespect. (b) Behavior or language that frightens, degrades, or criticizes the employee alone or in public. (c) Encouraging others to turn against the targeted employee. (d) Ignoring or showing hostility towards an employee seeking information or assistance. (e) Using confidential information to publicly humiliate an employee. (f) Creating unreasonable demands, for example workload, deadlines, or duties, that set a worker up for failure. (g) Constant and unreasonable criticism which is not part of a typical evaluation process. (h) Deliberately denying an employee access to information or resources necessary to properly complete a task. II. “Abusive work environment” means an employment condition where any employee or group of employees subjects another employee or a group of employees to abusive conduct so severe that it causes tangible harm. III. “Employee” shall mean any full or part-time, classified or unclassified officer or employee of any branch, department, commission, bureau, institution, or agency of the state government including employees of the general court, the retirement system, the judicial system, and the community college system. IV. “Employer” means any branch, department, commission, bureau, agency, or agent of the state of New Hampshire, but shall not mean any political subdivisions of the state. 275-E:11 Written Policy. Each employer shall within 6 months after the effective date of this subdivision adopt and communicate to all employees a written policy prohibiting abusive conduct in the workplace. This policy shall include at minimum: I. A clear policy statement prohibiting abusive conduct. II. A statement prohibiting retaliation against a targeted employee, witness, or anyone who in good faith provides information about incidents of abusive conduct. III. A procedure which identifies all persons to whom an employee may report abusive conduct whether he or she is targeted or not. Such a procedure shall permit an employee to bypass his or her supervisor to report concerns of abusive conduct in the workplace. IV. A statement that written complaints related to abusive conduct by employees shall be filed within 25 work days of the occurrence. V. A procedure for employees to request and receive trained conflict resolution assistance within the workplace whether a formal complaint of abusive conduct is filed or not. VI. A written procedure for investigating reports of abusive conduct, to be initiated within 5 work days of the reported incident, that includes: (a) Appointment of an impartial investigator from outside the agency, if possible. (b) A time limit for investigations which shall not exceed 30 work days for a preliminary report unless exceptional circumstances exist. (c) A provision for confidentiality of the investigation including discussions with witnesses and maintenance of documents. (d) A procedure for reporting investigation conclusions to the targeted employee or employees, the perpetrators, the head of the agency, and the director of personnel of the department of administrative services within 10 work days of completion of the investigation. (e) A provision that records related to the initial claim and investigation be retained in a secure manner for a period of 3 years. VII. A neutral and timely appeals process to the commissioner of labor or the director of personnel of the department of administrative services if the complaint involves the department of labor. VIII. A requirement that all documentation regarding the initial claim and all follow up investigations be provided to the commissioner of labor, or the director of personnel of the department of administrative services as appropriate for appealed cases. IX. A requirement to distribute the policy to all new and current employees immediately upon adoption, and to train each employee and supervisor upon hiring or promotion and annually thereafter. X. A provision for annual policy review and provision for change if needed. 4 New Paragraph; Powers and Duties of Commissioners. Amend RSA 21-G:9 by inserting after paragraph VI the following new paragraph: VII. The commissioner shall comply with all requirements of RSA 275-E:11. 5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage. http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2014/HB0591.html
OUR BULLY PULPIT 
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When I heard about this passing I broke into tears and fell to my knees literally. Due to the circumstances of what happened to me in April of 2009.
I chose to go into the field of education do too many reasons. My heart with special needs and children with learning disabilities. Since I was a child a very young child I had the opportunity to be friends with people with disabilities. Then when I had my oldest daughter did I only realize how much of an impact disabilities would have on my life. My daughter’s was something that was enough to impact your educational and it held her back socially emotionally and educationally. Through working with the schools learning about disabilities learning about what impacts there are on the person I gained a whole new outlook on it because it was in my family now. I started College Inn my goal was to graduate with the intentions of becoming a special Aid teacher. While going to college I have the opportunity to become a paraprofessional in a school again I felt like I was so happy when they called and requested that I start the position in 2007. I brought so much joy it open my heart I was the happiest I’ve been in many many years that I was finally working towards something that meant so much and would bring an impact to this world. I didn’t know that where I was going to work in the person whom I was going to work under was going to discriminate against me because I had a child with a learning disability and was discriminating against me due to a family that I married into. I was so naive I didn’t understand that this was all starting October of 2007 the year that I started. I thought all the interactions I’ve ever had in school I never thought that something like this could ever take place the consistent discrimination the consistent belittling and the poor children I was working with the woman discriminated against the kids or a child because of a color because of her origin and because of her disability but yet she was especially teacher. In 2008 March April time around that time frame the teacher took me in physically pushed me into the wall on top of the child with another paraprofessional there watching. I was so thrown and I had no clue what to do I didn’t understand what was going on and why and I was falling into depression very quickly I think I wanted to shock. As time went on the interactions were more more negative it was more parents that they were questioning the last name of the family that I was married into the woman I worked under the special Aid teacher actually came up to me and physically got into my face and told me that people with kids with learning disabilities shouldn’t be working in special education. I guess the old saying was in her mind which actually wasn’t correct it all my child learning disabilities due to head trauma. As time went on there was more bullying my car was hit 23 33 Times by another paraprofessional the teacher was promising that paraprofessional position as a teacher in the school that paraprofessional had not gone to school to become a teacher but for some reason she was going to be awarded a position is what these special Aid teacher advised that paraprofessional. The harassment became more consistent on a daily basis I finally had a break when I actually left to go on vacation early I needed it. That was the following year 2009 when I came back from vacation I was advised that the special ed teacher had gotten very upset with the child I was working with because she has a physical disability as well and she pushed the child into the wall and down onto the handicap ramp of the school. I was so mortified so when I came back from vacation they switched my schedule didn’t tell me they did everything they could their power to make me feel uncomfortable and to make me feel like I’m in it was in a hostile environment anxiety grew higher my heart was beating rapidly I couldn’t keep up my own breath I was going down quickly. People whom I used to work with Warren speaking to me there’s a whole bunch of negative going on and at the very end when I just got up and left and never came back they called me and harassed me my home which to this day I have all the voicemails I kept. I was diagnosed with PTSD due to all the physical harassment and mental harassment I went through and a broken heart because my dream was shattered over a woman who said she didn’t like me in the very beginning because I was too easy on the children I didn’t use physical Force grab their arms leave indentations and red marks. I refuse to do that I was born and raised in a neighborhood with Children of special needs and I was taught better than that that I didn’t need to interact with them that way. So from that point on my life I have PTSD due to this place five years later they come out with this law. And me I stopped going to school because I didn’t realize that this kind of stuff was allowed in school this kind of interaction I couldn’t do it. It hurt me mentally terribly and I tell you the truth I had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder because of the physical assault and the constant mental abuse. When it wasn’t the height of the abuse I actually did go down so bad that I was ready to say goodbye to the whole life that I did have in the whole world and my children. In my heart I would love to go back and work in the school I wish that my story could be more detailed because it’s not fair that those people still get to work in a school or still get to get away with it.
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