CHICAGO (AP) — Staff at dozens of Illinois nursing homes have called off a strike set for Friday morning after the workers’ union reached a deal with nursing home owners.

The Service Employees International Union represents more than 10,000 workers at 100 nursing homes, most in the Chicago area.

Union leaders said in a statement Thursday morning that they had reached a two-year tentative contract with home owners that would protect workers and residents “during this time of unprecedented vulnerability and risk.”

Union leaders have said the pandemic revealed long-standing issues including low wages, short staffing and lack of adequate supplies inside nursing homes.