More than five weeks after members of United Auto Workers Local 2069 went on strike outside the Volvo Trucks North America plant in Dublin, Volvo announced it had reached a tentative agreement with the union on terms of a new three-year contract.

In order for UAW Local 2069's roughly 2,600 members to return to work, however, the union must first ratify the new agreement.

Reached by cellphone Tuesday night, UAW Local 2069 Vice President Tim Barnes said members "are just ready to be informed on what the offer is," and the union was trying to schedule times for a pair of ratification meetings.

While firm dates and times had yet to be hammered out by Tuesday night, Barnes said the meetings would likely be held Friday or Saturday at New River Community College.

If members vote to ratify the agreement, Barnes said workers could go back to work within one or two days.

UAW Local 2069 went on strike Feb. 1 after the union was unable to reach an agreement with Volvo about a new contract. Since then, union members have taken turns picketing outside the truck manufacturing facility, often waving signs and chanting.

Production at the plant, one of the region's largest employers and Volvo's only heavy-duty truck plant in North America, halted for more than three weeks.

In an early letter detailing the union's reasons for striking, UAW Local 2069 President Lester Hancock said members were upset by "unreasonable proposals that would erode the wages and benefits that we've fought so many years to achieve and protect."

Throughout the strike, union members have also said that Volvo was looking to dismantle their recall rights and health and safety protections.

Volvo, however, denied those assertions and expressed confusion about the union's decision to strike.

In a letter announcing a return to bargaining March 5, Per Carlsson, president and chief executive officer of Volvo Trucks North America, highlighted three issues that seemed likely to play a key role in talks, including "increased health care cost sharing" and "the exceptionally high degree of manpower movement and higher-than-average absenteeism in the factory."