And at a news conference here later Tuesday attended by Elizabeth Warren — the first candidate to announce she'd skip the debate if the labor standoff wasn't resolved — Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez celebrated the breakthrough.

“This agreement is also an important reminder of our values as a Democratic Party. Every single Democrat running for president believes in the importance of collective bargaining, believes in the importance of the labor movement,” he said.

The news came after Perez stepped in to assist with re-starting talks between Local 11 and Sodexo, which the union said began in March but stalled after workers and students began picketing on campus in November. The candidates pledged last week they would not cross the workers’ picket line.

The new three-year agreement between its members and Sodexo includes a 25 percent compensation increase and a 50 percent decrease in health care costs, as well as greater job security, the union said.

Susan Minato, co-president of Local 11, praised Warren for being the first candidate to draw attention to their labor fight, calling the Massachusetts senator a “hero.” She said the candidate put out a tweet within minutes of hearing from the union, and she was joined in short order by the other candidates.

Minato also credited Perez, California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks and state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo for being “essential in reaching out to parties where we had broken down.”

Warren said her quick response to the labor standoff "tells you why I am in this race. ... I'm here for the people who do the hard work every day to make this country work. It's time for them to get the wages they deserve, the benefits they deserve, and the respect they deserve.”

Pressed by reporters on how her Medicare for All health care proposal would remove the ability of unions like Local 11 to negotiate their health care plans in contracts, Warren said: “I think it is critical that we have good health care for all workers and I know the people of UNITE HERE want to see that, that every single worker in America has access to top notch health care. That's something we work on together.”

A DNC official said Perez worked the phones in recent days to facilitate an agreement, speaking repeatedly with the university president, the Local 11 president, and the CEO of Sodexo.

The official said Perez was able to arrange a meeting Sunday with the university and Local 11, followed by a day of negotiations Monday between the union and Sodexo.

“We are pleased to confirm that, after many months of continuous negotiations, we have reached a tentative agreement with UNITE HERE Local 11 on behalf of Sodexo employees at Loyola Marymount University,” a Sodexo spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday.

“Sodexo has agreements with UNITE HERE at more than 70 sites across the country, and we are very happy our positive working relationship can continue with improved benefits and wages for our employees on the campus of LMU,” the spokesperson added.

In a statement commenting on the agreement Tuesday, the university said: “We are pleased with this outcome and glad that we were able to play a constructive role by bringing the negotiating parties together.”