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NEW YORK – A week-long strike in the country’s largest wholesale market for fresh produce ended on Saturday after workers overwhelmingly approved an agreement that includes the biggest salary increase in decades and more money for health coverage.
New York City’s Hunts Point Produce Market employees will receive increases totaling $ 1.85 an hour over three years, including an increase of 70 cents an hour in the first year, the union said. Management will also make additional contributions of 40 cents an hour to the health of employees.
Some 1,400 members of Teamsters Local 202 left work in the Bronx market on January 17, upset at how they were being compensated while continuing to maintain operations during the coronavirus pandemic, which killed six employees. It was the first strike on the market since 1986.
“Some of us can get a little bit of security by working from home or working from a distance. These people cannot do that, ”said Danny Kane, president of Local 202, in a telephone interview.
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Workers will start working on the market again on Sunday, the union said. About 97% of striking employees voted in favor of the deal, which will raise the average basic wage for most workers to $ 20.42 an hour in their third year, the union said.
A message seeking comments was left with market management, a cooperative with more than 30 suppliers.
In an earlier statement, management said it was “proud to have kept our union workers – the vast majority of whom live right here in the Bronx – working and receiving a payroll with all the health benefits” while many people were unemployed for cause of the pandemic.
Workers were looking for an annual increase of $ 1 an hour in pay and 60 cents in health insurance. Management initially offered a pay increase of 32 cents an hour, plus 60 cents for health insurance coverage.
A week-long strike in the country’s largest wholesale market for fresh produce ended on Saturday, after workers overwhelmingly approved an agreement that includes the biggest pay rise in decades and more money for health coverage. (iStock)
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Striking workers – picketing around campfires and holding placards saying “Stop the war against workers” – garnered the support of community leaders and elected officials, including US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, who said that workers sought to “change change” in their lives and in the lives of “all food workers across the country”.
“The help of community groups, politicians and others has put us in a good position to reach the negotiating table and negotiate a fair and open agreement,” said Kane.
Hunts Point Produce Market distributes some 300,000 pounds (136,000 kg) of fruit and vegetables a day to restaurants, wholesalers and grocery stores in the region and accounts for about 60% of product sales in New York City.
The market remained open during the strike, with the administration hiring temporary workers and using police and private security to protect delivery trucks. Several strikers were arrested for blocking the road during pickets.