“It is irresponsible and ethically dubious to silently make significant changes to rules that impact us and inform our work environment, without any kind of heads-up to staff or opportunity for us to provide feedback,” wrote rank-and-file House staff, who are attempting to unionize in part because they are dissatisfied with the current conditions. “This will be the reality until we have a union which guarantees us a seat at the table.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for House Speaker Ron Mariano said the proposed rules “update and strengthen the existing rules related to employees’ wellbeing” by requiring the House retain an outside equal employment officer to investigate complaints “when the human resources director deems them plausible.”
The spokesperson, Ana Vivas, wrote that House officials regularly conduct trainings for staff, and that House officials have completed their own training by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, which focuses on how to conduct discrimination and harassment prevention trainings.
Under the new rules, Vivas said, workplace harassment trainings will continue to be conducted, with the next sessions slated for next month.
Controversy around the treatment of staff in the building stretches back to 2018, amid the #MeToo reckoning, when news coverage — including reporting by Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham — revealed a pattern of inappropriate behavior on Beacon Hill, including instances of aides, lawmakers, and others being propositioned by men, including lawmakers, and inappropriately touched.
In response, Massachusetts House leaders brought in outside attorneys and consultants who ultimately made recommendations that the House should require mandatory sexual harassment training and create a new position, an independent equal employment opportunity officer, to examine allegations of harassment or discrimination while protecting the confidentiality of accusers and witnesses.
In June 2019, the House Rules Committee appointed Boston employment lawyer John McLafferty to the role.
Current and former staff members told the Globe in 2022 that McLafferty hosted sexual harassment and ethics trainings, met with staff in small groups upon request, and “filled in the gaps” left by the House’s human resources team. Most said they thought his hiring symbolized a turning point in the House’s commitment to address a toxic culture of harassment and sexual misconduct.
McLafferty, who had been tasked with hosting an annual training, developing written policies for making complaints, and creating a process to audit House offices, stayed in the post for less than two years. House leadership did not replace him after he left.
Shortly after McLafferty‘s departure, House leaders removed several references to the office in an updated employee handbook distributed to staff, prompting concerns that House leaders were minimizing a post they once heralded as a way to address the chamber’s past problems.
Under the House rules approved Tuesday, the House will no longer have an in-house equal employment opportunity office but will instead contract with “a qualified person or entity” to review and investigate complaints “deemed plausible” of violating the House’s anti-harassment or discrimination policies. The House’s human resources director will assess the plausibility of each complaint, Vivas said. If the human resources director believes a complaint is not plausible, the determination will be referred to the House Counsel.
Andrew Epifanio, who worked as a policy researcher in the State House from January 2023 to August 2024, told the Globe he reported a sensitive situation to human resources after McLafferty left. Epifanio said he felt concerned about the process when an investigation into the issue by an independent firm seemed incomplete and left the parties feeling at risk of further harm.
“I have been through this process they are now proposing,” said Epifanio, who reported the incident. “I did not feel supported in that process.”
Nicole Eigbrett, who worked as a legislative aide in the House from 2017 to 2020, said staff needs “a true ombudsman” for safety, human resources, and personnel matters.
Staff needs an independent investigatory body that is “truly third party,” she said, noting that the House human resources director is appointed by the Committee on Human Resources and Employee Engagement.
Eigbrett recalls making a complaint about harassment from a court officer that was ultimately left unresolved.
“We met and [the EEO officer] listened to me and nothing happened,” she said. “I thought, ‘His position was there for a reason. Shouldn’t I use it?‘ It was a very disempowering experience.”
Samantha J. Gross can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @samanthajgross.
