GETTING INVOLVED

As I researched about this topic over the past year, I found a number of very helpful websites and want to  share with others. 

"Gary Namie (Ph.D., Social Psychology) and Ruth Namie (Ph.D., Clinical Psychology) started the U.S. workplace bullying movement in mid-1997 after Ruth’s personal experience at the hands of a tyrannical woman supervisor in a psychiatry clinic."  To read more about Gary and Ruth Namie and the movement: 

http://www.workplacebullying.org/2011/09/06/gary-and-ruth-namie-an-interview-by-bob-morris/#more-5762

THE GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN-

I have taken some key points from the website, http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/:

The movement has evolved since then into the healthy work place bullying legislative movement, beginning in 2001.  In 2003, California was the first to introduce this intitiative, forming the California Healthy Workplace Advocates.  New York was next to follow and since then many other states have organized.

The HWB has been introduced in 21 states, in over 60 versions, and has been sponsored by more than 300 legislators, thanks to the State Coordinator volunteer network directed by Dr. Gary Namie. The bill has successfully passed committee votes in Illinois, Washington, New York, and Connecticut; passed House floor votes in New York for a study-only bill; and passed both houses in Illinois as a Joint Resolution, establishing funding for a 1-year Task Force on Workplace Bullying. In 2010, the Senates in both the New York and Illinois legislatures passed the bill. We await the successful passage by floor vote in both chambers. Eventually, it will become law in one or more states and be replicated like the school bullying laws that snowball across our nation.

Discussions about a federal law were begun in 2010 with members of the U. S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

The state coordinators play an important role in getting this bill in front of lawmakers by educating, creating blogs, facebook pages and so forth to get the campaign press. 

So you maybe asking yourself how can I get involved and "take action"?  When you are visiting http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/ you can click on the tab "TAKE ACTION, HOW YOU CAN HELP".  There are a number of ways in which you can help and this is exactly what I did.  I am hoping to write further to Senators and Congressman to encourage legislation to be passed in my state.  I was encouraged today when I seen the traffic coming through my blog.  I have begun to take the initiative to link this blog with other blogs and get the word out about the healthy work place bullying legislation. 

Taking action,

Targeted