Bully Bosses originally appeared on Working America's Dear David workplace advice column:

Q.

The managers and directors at my office threaten to fire employees for things that are personal and nonwork-related. I’ve been called stupid and had something thrown at me by my boss. The president of the company travels 99% of the time, so these higher-ups do not have to answer to anyone. I've looked up workplace bullying to find that it does not fall under Title VII, nor is it acknowledged at all. How can employees defend themselves against these threats? Why is bullying not allowed in schools but is allowed in the workplace? What gives managers and directors the right to viciously attack employees? Can you help? Thanks so much.

—Standing Up, Connecticut

A number of states are considering legislation that would allow workers to sue for on-the-job harassment and bullying that causes physical or emotional harm. Some employers have already instituted anti-bullying policies, but advocacy groups want a more comprehensive response to what has been a problem on the rise since the economic downturn began. More than a dozen states have considered legislation to combat on-the-job bullying in the past year.

Every seven minutes somewhere in America a child is bullied, and 160,000 students a day stay home from school because they fear being bullied. On Friday, May 4, students, teachers and school administrators across the nation will Stand 4 Change to send this simple but powerful message:

Bullying is not acceptable in our schools or in our communities.

Lots more great labor involvement to report at the upcoming Netroots Nation conference June 16-19 in Minneapolis, in addition to the highlights we noted a few days ago.