The K-12 support staff workers in the Kamloops-Thompson School District have a new three-year deal.

SD-73 has ratified a new deal for about 850 support workers with CUPE Local 3500. Those members include education assistants, bus drivers, grounds personnel, red sealed trades workers, custodians, clerks, and library assistants.

The deal is retroactive to July 1 and will last until June 30 in 2022.

Superintendent Alison Sidow says it includes a wage increase of two per cent each year and updated language.

“Gender neutral language, which we feel is very progressive. We’ve clarified some vacation entitlements so that everybody’s really clear on what the rules are moving forward. And we’ve also ensured that our trades folks have clarity on whats Trades Days Off looks like. So in fact, some of our employees have the ability to work for an extra half an hour a day and then bank that time,” Sidow tells NL News.

“It was done in a very respectful manner, and I think we are all feeling very comfortable with the outcome.”

Sidow says the vote by support workers to ratify the deal was well over 80 per cent.