Workers at Canada's borders are no longer planning to go on strike this week after their union reached a tentative agreement with the federal government.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada said Tuesday it reached a deal with the government for Canada Border Services Agency employees after working "around the clock."
If such an agreement couldn't be hammered out, the union had been planning for a strike of more than 9,000 members beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday.
Sharon DeSousa, the union's national president, said in a statement that Tuesday's news is a "well-deserved victory."
The union said details of the tentative agreement would be released after they were shared with members on Thursday.
Windsor-Tecumseh Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk says no community in Canada really understands better how vital CBSA officers and staff are like Windsor-Essex does.
"This is a huge relief. I know for our community but really across Canada, so this is great," he says. "This just goes to show something that I've been saying and we've been saying forever and a day, which is that the absolute best deals are always reached at the bargaining table."
Kusmierczyk says we know how important the border crossings are to our community.
"The manufacturing and businesses that rely on $400 million worth of goods crossing that border every single day, and we know it's important to the nurses and engineers and folks who work on both sides of the border. And it's important for the tourism sector as well, here," he says.
In its own news release, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat said "long hours at the bargaining table" resulted in a deal that "is fair for employees and reasonable for Canadians."
The Treasury Board said the deal includes wage enhancements and other benefits, but it is not sharing further details until later.
A similar strike three years ago nearly brought commercial border traffic to a standstill and caused major delays across the country.
Union members will still need to vote to ratify and finalize the deal.