SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1355        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1072

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Paul R. Feeney

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act addressing workplace bullying, mobbing and harassment, without regard to protected class status.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Paul R. Feeney

Bristol and Norfolk

 

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

1/18/2019

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

1/22/2019

Diana DiZoglio

First Essex

1/22/2019

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

1/22/2019

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

1/22/2019

Maria Duaime Robinson

6th Middlesex

1/22/2019

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

1/22/2019

Rebecca L. Rausch

Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex

1/22/2019

Daniel M. Donahue

16th Worcester

1/22/2019

Carmine Lawrence Gentile

13th Middlesex

1/23/2019

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

1/23/2019

Carolyn C. Dykema

8th Middlesex

1/23/2019

Patrick M. O'Connor

Plymouth and Norfolk

1/23/2019

James T. Welch

Hampden

1/24/2019

Aaron Vega

5th Hampden

1/24/2019

David Allen Robertson

19th Middlesex

1/25/2019

Natalie M. Higgins

4th Worcester

1/25/2019

James J. O'Day

14th Worcester

1/25/2019

Joanne M. Comerford

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester

1/25/2019

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

1/25/2019

Tommy Vitolo

15th Norfolk

1/28/2019

Tram T. Nguyen

18th Essex

1/28/2019

Carole A. Fiola

6th Bristol

1/28/2019

Mike Connolly

26th Middlesex

1/29/2019

Adrian C. Madaro

1st Suffolk

1/29/2019

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

1/29/2019

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

1/29/2019

Anne M. Gobi

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex

1/29/2019

Kevin G. Honan

17th Suffolk

1/29/2019

Patrick Joseph Kearney

4th Plymouth

1/29/2019

Daniel J. Hunt

13th Suffolk

1/29/2019

Bruce E. Tarr

First Essex and Middlesex

1/30/2019

Kate Hogan

3rd Middlesex

1/30/2019

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

1/30/2019

Michael J. Rodrigues

First Bristol and Plymouth

1/30/2019

Edward F. Coppinger

10th Suffolk

1/30/2019

Bud L. Williams

11th Hampden

1/30/2019

Bruce J. Ayers

1st Norfolk

1/30/2019

Elizabeth A. Malia

11th Suffolk

1/30/2019

John J. Mahoney

13th Worcester

1/30/2019

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

1/30/2019

John J. Lawn, Jr.

10th Middlesex

1/30/2019

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

1/30/2019

Danielle W. Gregoire

4th Middlesex

1/30/2019

Todd M. Smola

1st Hampden

1/30/2019

John C. Velis

4th Hampden

1/30/2019

Tami L. Gouveia

14th Middlesex

1/30/2019

Jay D. Livingstone

8th Suffolk

1/30/2019

Lori A. Ehrlich

8th Essex

1/31/2019

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

1/31/2019

RoseLee Vincent

16th Suffolk

1/31/2019

Tackey Chan

2nd Norfolk

1/31/2019

Daniel R. Carey

2nd Hampshire

1/31/2019

Alan Silvia

7th Bristol

1/31/2019

David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf

17th Worcester

1/31/2019

Paul W. Mark

2nd Berkshire

1/31/2019

Russell E. Holmes

6th Suffolk

1/31/2019

Jonathan D. Zlotnik

2nd Worcester

1/31/2019

Antonio F. D. Cabral

13th Bristol

1/31/2019

Andres X. Vargas

3rd Essex

1/31/2019

Christina A. Minicucci

14th Essex

1/31/2019

Ann-Margaret Ferrante

5th Essex

1/31/2019

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

1/31/2019

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

1/31/2019

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

1/31/2019

James M. Kelcourse

1st Essex

1/31/2019

Mathew J. Muratore

1st Plymouth

1/31/2019

Liz Miranda

5th Suffolk

1/31/2019

Jerald A. Parisella

6th Essex

2/1/2019

Elizabeth A. Poirier

14th Bristol

2/1/2019

Donald F. Humason, Jr.

Second Hampden and Hampshire

2/1/2019

Joseph A. Boncore

First Suffolk and Middlesex

2/1/2019

Julian Cyr

Cape and Islands

2/1/2019

Michael F. Rush

Norfolk and Suffolk

2/1/2019

Susannah M. Whipps

2nd Franklin

2/1/2019

Jon Santiago

9th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Carlos González

10th Hampden

2/1/2019

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

2/1/2019

Paul F. Tucker

7th Essex

2/1/2019

James Arciero

2nd Middlesex

2/1/2019

Stephan Hay

3rd Worcester

2/1/2019

Daniel R. Cullinane

12th Suffolk

2/1/2019

David T. Vieira

3rd Barnstable

2/1/2019

Jeffrey N. Roy

10th Norfolk

2/1/2019

Chynah Tyler

7th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Michelle L. Ciccolo

15th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

2/1/2019

James K. Hawkins

2nd Bristol

2/1/2019

Mindy Domb

3rd Hampshire

2/1/2019

Natalie M. Blais

1st Franklin

2/1/2019

Nika C. Elugardo

15th Suffolk

2/3/2019

Edward J. Kennedy

First Middlesex

2/6/2019

David Biele

4th Suffolk

2/6/2019

Kenneth I. Gordon

21st Middlesex

2/9/2019

Harriette L. Chandler

First Worcester

2/19/2019

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

2/19/2019

Brendan P. Crighton

Third Essex

2/21/2019

Cindy F. Friedman

Fourth Middlesex

2/21/2019

Frank A. Moran

17th Essex

2/26/2019

José F. Tosado

9th Hampden

2/27/2019

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

2/27/2019

Christine P. Barber

34th Middlesex

3/5/2019

John H. Rogers

12th Norfolk

3/7/2019

Walter F. Timilty

Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth

3/8/2019

Nick Collins

First Suffolk

3/18/2019

Marc R. Pacheco

First Plymouth and Bristol

3/28/2019

John F. Keenan

Norfolk and Plymouth

4/11/2019

Michael D. Brady

Second Plymouth and Bristol

6/1/2019


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1355        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1072

By Mr. Feeney, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1072) of Paul R. Feeney, Ruth B. Balser, Jack Patrick Lewis, Diana DiZoglio and other members of the General Court for legislation to address workplace bullying, mobbing and harassment, without regard to protected class status.  Labor and Workforce Development.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 2448 OF 2017-2018.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act addressing workplace bullying, mobbing and harassment, without regard to protected class status.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

The General Laws are hereby amended by inserting after chapter 151E the following chapter:-

Chapter 151G The Healthy Workplace

Section 1. For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:-

“Abusive conduct”, acts, omissions or both, that a reasonable person would find abusive, based on the severity, nature and frequency of the conduct, including, but is not limited to: repeated verbal abuse such as the use of derogatory remarks, insults and epithets; verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a threatening, intimidating or humiliating nature; or the sabotage or undermining of an employee’s work performance.  It shall be considered an aggravating factor if the conduct exploited an employee’s known psychological or physical illness or disability.  A single act normally shall not constitute abusive conduct, but an especially severe and egregious act may meet this standard;

“Abusive work environment”, an employment condition when an employer or one or more its employees, acting with intent to cause pain or distress to an employee, subjects that employee to abusive conduct that causes physical harm, psychological harm or both;

“Adverse employment action”, an outcome which negatively impacts an employee, including but not limited to:  a termination, demotion, unfavorable reassignment, failure to promote, disciplinary action or reduction in compensation.

“Constructive discharge”, an adverse employment action where: 

(1)  the employee reasonably believed he or she was subjected to an abusive work environment;

(2)  the employee resigned because of that conduct; and,

(3)  the employer was aware of the abusive conduct prior to the resignation and failed to stop it.

“Psychological harm”, the impairment of a person’s mental health, as established by competent evidence.

“Physical harm”, the impairment of a person’s physical health or bodily integrity, as established by competent evidence.

Section 2. (a)  No employee shall be subjected to an abusive work environment.

(b)  No employer or employee shall retaliate in any manner against an employee who has opposed any unlawful employment practice under this chapter, or who has made a charge, testified, assisted or participated in any manner in an investigation or proceeding under this chapter, including, but not limited to, internal complaints and proceedings, arbitration and mediation proceedings, and legal actions.

Section 3. (a)  An employer shall be vicariously liable for a violation of section 3 of this chapter committed by its employee.

(b)  Where the alleged violation of said section 3 does not include an adverse employment action, it shall be an affirmative defense for an employer that:

(1) the employer was not aware of a violation of said section 3;

(2)  the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct promptly any actionable behavior; or,

(3)  the complainant employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of appropriate preventive or corrective opportunities provided by the employer.

Section 4. (a)  An employee may be individually liable for a violation of section 3 of this chapter.

(b)  It shall be an affirmative defense for an employee only that the employee committed a violation of said section 3 at the direction of the employer, under actual or implied threat of an adverse employment action.

Section 5.  It shall be an affirmative defense that:

(a)  The complaint is based on an adverse employment action reasonably made for poor performance, misconduct or economic necessity; or,

(b)  The complaint is based on a reasonable performance evaluation; or,

(c)  The complaint is based on an employer’s reasonable investigation about potentially illegal or unethical activity.

Section 6. (a)  Where a party is liable for a violation of section 3 of this chapter, the court may enjoin the defendant from engaging in the unlawful employment practice and may order any other relief that is deemed appropriate, including, but not limited to:  reinstatement, removal of the offending party from the complainant’s work environment, back pay, front pay, medical expenses, compensation for pain and suffering, compensation for emotional distress, punitive damages and attorney’s fees.

(b)  Where an employer is liable for a violation of said section 3 that did not include an adverse employment action, emotional distress damages and punitive damages may be awarded only when the actionable conduct was extreme and outrageous.  This limitation does not apply to individually named employee defendants.

Section 7. (a)  This chapter shall be enforced solely by a private right of action.

(b)  An action under this chapter must be commenced no later than one year after the last act that constitutes the alleged violation of section 3 of this chapter.

Section 8. (a)  Nothing in this chapter shall supersede rights and obligations provided under collective bargaining laws and regulations.

(b)  The remedies provided in this chapter shall be in addition to any remedies provided under any other law, and nothing in this chapter shall relieve any person from any liability, duty, penalty or punishment provided by any other law, except that if an employee receives workers’ compensation for medical costs for the same injury or illness pursuant to both this chapter and the workers’ compensation law, or compensation under both this chapter and that law in cash payments for the same period of time not working as a result of the compensable injury or illness or the unlawful employment practice, the payments of workers’ compensation shall be reimbursed from compensation paid under this chapter.