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Ending a two-week long strike involving over involving almost half of Minnesota's public sector workforce, 23,000 state employees returned to work this week following a late night negotiating session on Sunday night that led to a contract agreement. The strike, the first in two decades, was caused primarily by disagreements over proposed salary and wage raises between the Office of the State Employee Relations Commissioner, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 6 and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees. The contract, which is expected to be approved by the Minnesota Legislature and the rank-and-file in both unions, contains higher raises and better health benefits than the state's last offer prior to the strike.