John Thompson has been walking the picket line for six months through wind, snow and -40 C temperatures.

He was out again with his fellow Co-op workers Monday morning, but they may not need to march much longer. Workers say they're hopeful an end to the strike is near after the union and the employer reached a tentative deal.

"I'm hopeful but cautiously optimistic kind of thing. I hope it's all good and everything like that but I'm not going to do backflips quite just yet," Thompson said outside the Co-op grocery store in Saskatoon's Stonebridge neighbourhood.

Workers walked the picket line in front of the Saskatoon Co-op grocery store on Monday. (Jason Warick/CBC)

Union officials say workers will vote on the proposed deal Tuesday.

Both sides met with a mediator on Friday and Saturday. They came to the agreement at approximately 3 a.m. CST Sunday.

"The special mediator really assisted us," said UFCW chief negotiator Lucy Flack Figueiredo. "I'm hoping everybody sees that when [union members] go to the meeting."

Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers have been on strike since November 1.

The sides were divided over Co-op's plan to offer a two-tiered system where newly-hired employees would receive less money than existing workers.

"It definitely has been a first for me to be involved in a picket line that has lasted for this long," said Flack Figueiredo.

Hundreds of workers went on strike in Saskatoon, Warman, Hepburn, Dalmeny, Waldheim and Rosthern.

Neither the union nor the company would provide details on the deal that had been struck.

Co-op workers voted against a deal from the employer in January.

-with files from Jason Warick