With a midnight strike deadline looming last night, officials for Shaw’s supermarket and the union that represents its workers said they expected stores to open this morning, despite the slow pace of negotiations.

Peter Derouen, political and legislative director for Local 791 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents workers at more than three dozen Shaw’s stores in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, reported late last evening that the two sides were still “very far apart,” but planned to continue talking through the night if necessary to try to broker a last-minute agreement. If no deal was reached, the union was to meet midday today to decide if it would pursue a strike.

Shaw’s spokeswoman Judy Chong said the company was “working diligently to reach a new contract.”

“We want to continue servicing our customers, and the stores will open tomorrow,” she said last night.