Verizon has reached a tentative agreement with 36,000 striking workers, potentially ending a bitter six-week long dispute.

U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez announced the two sides have reached an agreement "in principle" on a new four-year pact that he expects to have workers back on the job over the next week.

Terms of the new deal are touted as improving the living standards of working families, which include clearing the way for the first contract for wireless retail store workers.

"This proves that when we stand together we can raise up working families, improve our communities and protect the American middle class," Consumer Workers of America president Chris Shelton said in a statement.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers later added its plans to share full details of the agreement with its members in the coming days.

Strike Lingered for Nearly two Weeks

The two sides came to terms after 13 days of talks at the Department of Labor. According to Perez, the next step entails getting the deal in writing and submitting it to union members for ramification.

"This tentative resolution is a testament to the power of collective bargaining," Perez added in a statement.

After working without a contract for eight months, workers walked off the job on April 13. Among the biggest areas of dispute were complaints about poor working conditions, pensions being capped at 30 years of service and jobs getting shipped overseas.

The strike ranked as the largest in the U.S. since Verizon workers walked off the job in 2011. This time around, the dispute primarily involved workers who worked in the company's landline division and the area of FiOS broadband services.

Company Tries to Pick up Pieces

The most recent dispute has proved to have repercussions for the company, with CEO Lowell McAdam recently admitting that it's been harder for the company to sign up as many new customers as before the strike began.

Verizon stock also took a tumble during the dispute, but was already back on the rise late Friday as news of an agreement began to percolate.