NFFE-IAM U.S. Forest Service (USFS) workers and their representatives have a new tool to fight workplace harassment and bullying. A soon-to-be-implemented master agreement with the USFS will include a definition of workplace bullying, prohibition of such behavior and requirements that management investigate allegations.
“The contract language to stop workplace bullying that the NFFE Forest Service Council achieved is a huge step in our fight for justice on the job,” said NFFE Forest Service Council Vice President Karen Mora, a long-time anti-bullying policy advocate. “Finally, we have clear contract language that will allow us to put a stop to bullying.”
The NFFE-IAM Forest Service Council has been working for years to get USFS to implement anti-bullying policies or commit to an environment that fosters respect for individual values and appropriate conduct among all employees throughout the agency.
The language makes the USFS one of the first agencies to issue a policy that prohibits bullying and clearly define it in more than a schoolyard sense. Previous policies mention bullying in the context of workplace violence, but rarely address the subtler, psychological bullying that characterizes workplace bullying.
Click here to read more about the anti-bullying language in the agreement.
