The Gilroy Federation of Teachers and Paraprofessionals is breaking new ground in negotiations covering about 120 paraprofessionals in the Gilroy Unified School District. President Arcelia O’Connor said previous contracts had not addressed emails and granted only limited rights for domestic partners.
“But now we have time to check district communications online,” O’Connor said, “and we have added domestic partners to members of the immediate family for items like family illness and bereavement.”
O’Connor added that the bargaining committee — which also includes Treasurer Anna-Maria Daulton, Secretary Cheryl Chagoya and Federation member Maria Sorensen — still has a lot of work to finish negotiations, and that the agreements are only tentative until members ratify a complete contract.