The city of Vancouver has made a tentative deal with striking city employees who work outside, after a three-month strike had residents stockpiling garbage on the sides of roads.
Services including garbage pick-up could be back as soon as Monday if they accept the deal in a vote this weekend.
"We are pleased to announce that we had a productive session with the employer today," Mike Jackson, president of Local 1004 said in a statement. "The result is a tentative agreement we can recommend to our members."
The tentative deal comes only days after Vancouver's inside workers agreed to go back to work and accepted a new contract recommended by mediator Brian Foley.
On Thursday, most of the city workers' unions had accepted the contract recommendations, but Local 1004 members turned it down.
They voted 58 per cent in favour of the deal but under the union local's bylaws, two-thirds of members must approve it.
That meant outside workers remained off the job until today, when an agreement was finally reached.
"What turned the tide was the employer willing to meet with the concerns that we had through Mr. Foley's recommendations and the open discussion we had," Jackson told CTV British Columbia.
The deal, covering about 2,000 workers, was reached after two days of discussion, Jackson said.
Jackson said the agreement includes improved benefits and the establishment of a joint committee to address the assignment of overtime.
A system to provided quick ends to disputes over assigning Olympic work was included in the Olympic partnership agreement, the union said.
City council voted to approve Foley's recommendations Wednesday.
About 700 CUPE members who work at the city's libraries remain off the job. They originally voted down the package, with 78 per cent opposing it.
Union leaders who voted against Foley's proposal said they weren't after more money, but were standing by their pay-equity principles and overtime demands.
Foley's report called for a five-year package with a 17.5 per cent wage increase and a $1,000 signing bonus.
He also recommended whistleblower rules, no loss in seniority, vacation or sick pay for workers as a result of the strike and limits on contracting out by the city, including giving the union six months' notice.
The tentative deal will be voted on at a meeting on Sunday.
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV's Janet Dirks
