The state reached a three-year contract deal with its largest employees union on Saturday, avoiding a threatened strike by thousands of Department of Motor Vehicle workers, accountants, prison cooks and others responsible for the day-to-day operations of government. The deal, which must be ratified by a majority vote of the union's members, would provide the first raise in nearly three years for the 87,000 members of Local 1000 of the Service Employees International Union. The preliminary deal includes an 3.5 percent raise this year and another raise of up to four percent next year tied to the Consumer Price Index....