(FORT WAYNE) - WANE-TV reports NIPSCO and the United Steelworkers have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, potentially ending a labor dispute that has led to a lockout across northern Indiana.
The utility says the deal is not final and must still be ratified by union members. Until that happens, the lockout remains in effect.
More than 1,600 workers have been off the job since April 2, after contract talks failed to produce an agreement before the previous deal expired March 31. Negotiations began in January.
Union members had also been holding strikes and picketing during the dispute. A union member told WANE-TV that part of the tentative agreement includes ending picketing, and scheduled rallies have now been canceled.
NIPSCO says it has continued to provide gas and electric service during the lockout and plans to bring workers back once the agreement is approved.
Details of the tentative contract have not yet been released.