After a month and a half of negotiations, CAW Local 598 has reached a tentative collective agreement with the Xstrata Nickel Sudbury Division. The union has stated that the bargaining committee “fought long and hard in an effort to reach a fair and equitable collective agreement.” Times will be outlined to inform the 540 members of the details of the agreement. “We can continue to work together to pursue our goals in Sudbury, positioning our business for future success,” said Marc Boissonneault, vice-president of Xstrata Nickel’s Sudbury operations. The move narrowly averts a second strike among the city’s mining unions. Nearly 3100 members of United Steelworkers Local 6500 have been on strike from Vale Inco since July 2009. Xstrata Nickel’s Sudbury operations consist of the Nickel Rim South project, as well as a mill and smelter. It is a division of Xstrata plc, headquartered in Zug, Switzerland.