Food service workers at Rhode Island's Twin River Casino have reached a tentative deal with management on a new contract that heads off a strike.
The deal was announced on Friday morning just minutes after the strike began at 4 a.m.
More than 300 members of Unite Here Local 26 who serve food and beverages at the Lincoln casino's 19 restaurants were trying to head off health benefit changes and also wanted better pay.
A casino spokeswoman said in a joint statement that ``Twin River Management Group and Unite Here Local 26 ... are pleased to announce a settlement agreement.
Details of the tentative agreement were not immediately disclosed.
Employees are expected to return to work. The casino said it expected to stay open if the strike continued.
