Members of Illinois' largest state employee union and Gov. Pat Quinn's administration have reached a tentative contract agreement.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said Thursday that a deal was reached after midnight. Quinn's office confirmed the agreement.
Details of the three-year contract weren't made public. AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall says members must review and ratify the agreement before it's made public.
State employees had been working without a contract since November. The union has about 35,000 employees.
Negotiations between AFSCME and Quinn's office have been contentious and union members had started preparing for a strike.
The negotiations came as Quinn has been locked in several battles with AFSCME. The union opposes efforts to reduce their retirement benefits, which have been a central issue on pension talks.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
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