SAN FRANCISCO — Hundreds of janitors working at Northern California Safeway supermarkets called off a planned strike after the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Service Workers West Local 1877 reached a tentative contract agreement with the cleaning companies, according to KCBS-TV.
According to the story, the approximately 450 janitors represented by the union planned to begin a strike as early as Monday before the agreement was reached.
Previously, janitors staged a temporary work stoppage and have protested throughout the months-long contract negotiations, the story stated.
Rachele Huennekens, spokesperson for the union, said: "The main issues for the janitors were maintaining their benefits for health care, for retirement and other things."
As part of the agreement, workers would also receive a pay raise from $10.24 to $14.05 an hour, the story noted.
The agreement must still be approved through a union vote that is expected to take place in the next few days, the story added.