Safeway, union employees reach tentative deal hours before strike vote

Union employees of Safeway and the grocery chain have reached a tentative labor agreement that could avert a strike, the union said Thursday.  The deal was reached at 2 a.m. Thursday, just hours before Safeway employees were scheduled to vote on whether to go on strike as early as Friday.  United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400, based in Greater Washington, and Local 27, based in Baltimore, had already reached a tentative agreement with Giant in February. The contracts had both expired…