JoeCherner-announce

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To send a letter to the Rhode Island legislature, go to www.smokefree.org/RI
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Employees Threaten Lawsuit If Rhode Island
Fails To Provide a Safe, Smokefree Workplace

Parts excerpted from News 10, June 19, 2003
The Rhode Island State Senate passed smokefree workplace legislation for ALL
Rhode Island workers this year, but the Governor and Speaker of the House stood
with Big Tobacco and blocked it. 

Now restaurant owners and employees in Rhode Island are demanding that the
legislature ban smoking in the workplace or face a judge.  They have contacted
Providence attorney Vincent Morgera.  Morgera wrote to Gov. Don Carcieri,
telling him if the General Assembly won't act, he'll file a class-action lawsuit
in federal court. 


Morgera said Rhode Island law already states smoking is a health hazard and
state employees are protected by a ban on smoking in public buildings. He claims
the state is obligated to provide the same protection to everyone. 

"I'm hoping that the leaders of the state will understand it's time to do the
right thing. Other states have done it. They haven't suffered for it," Morgera
said. 

If the General Assembly doesn't pass the ban on smoking and Morgera files his
class-action suit, the Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. -- the state's largest
workers' compensation carrier -- could be in a bind, because Beacon might have
to put millions of dollars in reserve to cover the lawsuits. 

Ken Servant has worked as a bartender for 20 years. He said he's been a victim
of secondhand smoke. 

"By 11 o'clock at night your eyes are stinging, watery," Servant said. "I mean,
you have to go outside every 20 minutes to get fresh air because I just couldn't
take it." 

The owner of the Pot au Feu restaurant, Robert Burke, ponders why Rhode Island
is always last to get on the health bandwagon.  "You know what we are first in?"
 asks Burke.  "Cancer rates we're first in. Workplace disease we're first in.
We're first in a lot of things we shouldn't be first in. It's time Rhode Island
got out there and becomes first in something that made sense," Burke said. 

California, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, and Maine have enacted
comprehensive smokefree workplace legislation.  Massachusetts is expected to
join them shortly.

To send a letter to the Rhode Island legislature, go to www.smokefree.org/RI
Joseph W. Cherner, President
SmokeFree Educational Services, Inc.
http://www.smokefree.org


"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. 
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."       Margaret Mead