Friday, August 2, 2002
Nashua, NH approves contract with domestic partner benefits
A story published today by the Telegraph reports that at a special
meeting on Thursday, by the Board of Aldermen of Nashua, New Hampshire
approved a three-year contract for the school departments paraprofessionals
that raises their pay and broadens their benefits, allowing the workers to
help a sick domestic partner or grieve over a partner’s death.
According to officials, the domestic partner language was added in a
closed-door session between representatives of the Board of Education and
the Nashua Teachers Union. The contract for the clerical staff doesn’t
include the provision for benefits for partners, according to Chris Hagen,
district director of human of resources.
According to Hagen, the paraprofessional contract adds domestic partners,
whether of the same or opposite sex, to the short list of people an employee
can take time off from work to care for when that person is ill. The current
list includes only children and spouse.
Hagen said both contracts were needed to attract and retain quality
employees and to make Nashua competitive with regard to wages offered in
neighboring communities.
