The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce today announced additional steps that it will take to ensure that all guests on its upcoming Walk to Washington will feel safe, comfortable and respected.

“The State Chamber believes that harassment of any kind is unacceptable behavior,” said Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. “We are committed to making the environment at all of our events safe and welcoming for everyone, but the recent Star-Ledger article has prompted us to take additional measures beginning with the upcoming Walk to Washington.”

The New Jersey Chamber announced it will:

·    increase easily identifiable security personnel on its charter train to and from Washington, and at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel where the Walk to Washington events take place.

·    prohibit hard alcohol on the train.

·    establish a direct phone number that will allow any guest on the Walk to Washington to immediately and discreetly report an incident of harassment directly to security personnel and/or New Jersey Chamber of Commerce leadership. The phone number will be printed on the name badges given to all registered guests and be available on the smartphone event guide which all attendees can access.

·    enhance additional sexual harassment training for all employees of the New Jersey Chamber, including modules on effectively responding to on-site harassment reports that occur during events.

·    publish and disburse a Code of Conduct (see the code here) to all attendees of the Walk to Washington that specifies guidelines for professional conduct at Chamber events, details the kind of harassing behavior the Chamber will not tolerate, and describes the actions Chamber representatives are likely to take in response to harassment complaints.

“It is critical that the issue of harassment be resolved,” Bracken said. “The State Chamber stands ready to work with state leaders to help resolve this problem and we look forward to working with Sen. Loretta Weinberg and her committee as it looks into these issues.”

The New Jersey Chamber will host the 83rd annual Walk to Washington on February 27-28.