After five months with no new contract, the school district's food service workers voted unanimously Wednesday night to ratify a new three-year agreement.

The new contract gives the employees, who are members of the union SEIU Local 2001, up to five paid sick days a year and annual wage increases. It also honors existing worker seniority and insures anyone working more than 30 hours a week, according to a union press release.

The contract disagreement began last summer, when the Board of Education hired a new food service company for the school district. The company is the lunch ladies' employer.

Last month, a food service contingent protested in front of the Town Hall Annex to call attention to the fact that they were working without a contract and that Chartwells, the food company, tried to eliminate existing seniority and replace pensions with 401(k)s.