The unions representing more than 20,000 Safeway employees throughout Northern California reached a tentative agreement with the company, averting a strike.

A strike deadline was to midnight tonight as Safeway employees across Northern California wait for a decision on their contract negotiations.

Shopping at Safeway might mean crossing a picket line in Northern California this weekend. Thousands of Safeway workers are poised to go on strike Saturday, if the company and local unions don’t reach a labor agreement Friday evening.