WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers union on Thursday reached a tentative agreement for a new contract covering 850 Aramark employees who work at General Motors plants in Ohio and Michigan in maintenance, two sources briefed on the matter said.

The UAW’s national council has been delaying for hours on Thursday a vote on a separate tentative agreement reached Wednesday with GM covering 48,000 hourly workers as talks continued with Aramark.

The UAW did not want members to be forced to cross Aramark picket lines to return to work, sources said. GM and Aramark workers went on strike in mid-September.