The deal follows five months of negotiations and growing strike momentum from the 16,000 Safeway employees represented by the unions in the Bay Area.

A union representing workers along the Northern California coast and the Bay Area secured a last minute deal with the supermarket chain.

Before an agreement was reached, grocery workers across Northern and Central California prepared to strike starting on Saturday at 12:01 a.m. Union officials Saturday morning announced that the deadline for an agreement had been extended and delayed the proposed strike by 24 hours to Sunday at 12:01 a.m.