A Minnesota nurses union says it has reached a tentative deal with several Twin Cities health care providers to avert a strike after months of bargaining, but adds the fight continues for its Duluth-area members.

Roughly 12,000 nurses at nine Twin Cities hospitals will remain at patients’ bedsides instead of picket lines under tentative agreements their union and employers reached Thursday. Negotiators for the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) and hospitals found common ground in overnight sessions that ended early Thursday morning.