After months of ongoing contract negotiations including a strike threat this week, the port clerical workers union reached a tentative agreement Thursday on a new contract.

Details of the contract have not been made available, but should be released later in the day.

The 930-member Office Clerical Unit, Local 63, of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union kept talks going after their three-year contract expired on July 1, leading many observers to believe both sides were intent on reaching an agreement without a work stoppage.

The union had threatened to go on strike if they could not reach a deal by July 16, but continued talks when the deadline passed.

Despite the small size of the clerical union, it gained a significant bargaining chip when the 7,000 longshoremen who work at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports said they would honor any picket line.

A work stoppage could have been costly to the ports, which lost an estimated $15 billion when the longshoremen were locked out of their jobs for 10 days in 2002.

Both the clerical union and the representative of the shipping lines had declared an impasse in negotiations earlier this week.

“Today we proved that it is not only possible, but essential, to promote the vitality of our ports while protecting the rights and wages of workers,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in a statement.