Grocery workers in Southern California have reached a tentative deal with three retail chains that could end a four-month-plus strike involving 70,000 workers.

The Southern California grocery strike started Oct. 21 and dragged on despite numerous attempts to bring it to an end. The labor action covers more than 800 Southern California stores operated by Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons, roughly 60 percent of all groceries in the southern half of the state.

On Feb. 11, the two sides entered a new round of negotiations moderated by Peter Hurtgen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The United Food and Commercial Workers said in a statement Friday, Feb. 27, that the two sides had brokered a deal, and that workers were scheduled to vote on the tentative pact over the weekend.

Details of the tentative pact were not released.