A four-month lockout of nearly 400 stagehands and technical workers at Exhibition Place could soon be over.

On Thursday morning, members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 58 voted to ratify a tentative agreement reached with their employer following a 21-hour bargaining session earlier this week.

The vote will likely brings an end to a lockout that first began on July 20 and dragged on through several major events held at Exhibition Place, including the Canadian National Exhibition in September and the recent Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

In a news release, IATSE Local 58 president Justin Antheunis said that while he doesn’t believe “either party is happy with how things worked out,” his members are committed to serving Exhibition Place with “the same level of professionalism and technical skill” that they always have.

"This contract is a reflection of the continued attacks on workers at the hands of the City of Toronto supported by anti-union ideology coming from the province," he said. "We may lose some work under the terms of this contract, but we will continue to fight for workers' rights, both under this agreement and across the city."

Antheunis said that the main point of contention in negotiations was the city’s desire to contract out some jobs that previously would have had to go to members of the union.

He said that the union “made several concessions” early on but found that the Exhibition Place board of directors was unwilling to engage in meaningful bargaining until a negotiation session on Tuesday.

The board of directors for Exhibition Place have called an emergency meeting for Friday when the agreement will presumably be voted on. It remains unclear when members of IATSE Local 58 will be available to return to work.

The union is responsible for construction, lighting, sound, special effects and rigging at Exhibition Place, which includes BMO Field, Enercare Centre and several other venues.