Officials with six unions that represent about half of the city workers in Los Angeles said Monday that they had reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, which probably ends any chance of a threatened municipal strike, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The deal covers about 22,000 workers, including trash collectors, traffic control officers, 911 dispatchers, clerks, street repair workers, librarians, some water treatment plant employees, custodians, park rangers, crossing guards and mechanics.

Although most details of the contract were not released, if ratified by union members and approved by the City Council, the pact would run for five years and be retroactive to July.

“This agreement is about ensuring that workers keep up with the cost of living as well as helping the city address whatever challenges lie ahead,” said Barbara Maynard, the spokeswoman for the Coalition of L.A. City Unions, the umbrella group that represents the employees.

“I think it’s a fair deal,” said Karen Sisson, the city’s chief administrative officer. “The city can afford this.”

The unions had been negotiating with city administrators for months, but without the acrimony that usually marked past labor talks. Instead, the workers’ previous contract was quietly extended for three months in June and then a new deal was reached Sunday night, only minutes before the old deal expired at midnight.

Sisson said the city used facilitators who helped keep emotion out of the talks.

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