Nat T. Bender, (908) 377-0393, nbender@aftnj.org
Convention highlight best practices to promote healthy workplaces
EDISON, NJ – Nearly half of American workers are witness to or victims of workplace bullying, according to a recent study, resulting in lost productivity, high absentee rates and increased medical costs. While legal experts and legislators debate the necessity for legislation, union members and representatives are presenting multiple approaches to protect members and promote fairness in the workplace.
WHO:
• Beverly Peterson is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and Assistant Professor at Montclair State University’s School of Communication & Media. After experiencing heart problems because of stress from being abused by her boss, Peterson focused her work on the impact of workplace bullying. Her recently launched interactive documentary on the topic, What Killed Kevin, has garnered critical acclaim.
• Gail Richardson, MSW, is the Executive Vice President of CWA Local 1036, representing 8,000 mostly public employees. Richardson worked with members to form a support group to deal with the emotional and psychological aspects of having been bullied. She reports that members turned their anger, despair and confusion turned into an empowering desire to help other members avoid the same fate.
• Debra Davis is a Staff Representative with the Council of New Jersey College Locals, AFT, AFL-CIO, which represents 9,200 faculty, adjunct faculty, librarians and professional staff at New Jersey’s nine State Colleges and Universities. She has developed a workshop for members on bullying in the workplace and spends a great deal of her time mediating disputes and conflicts in the workplace outside the formal grievance process.
WHAT:
WORKPLACE BULLYING: SEEKING SOLUTIONS convention features the unionists along with Sen. Linda Greenstein, the sponsor of the Healthy Workplace Act S280. The National Workplace Bullying Coalition convened the convention.
WHEN: Friday, April 4, 2014, 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM
WHERE: Rutgers School of Law – Newark, 123 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102
