NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The shelves of products from your neighborhood grocery store may not be full soon because most workers at the Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx are now on strike.
Workers say the dispute with their bosses is for an increase of $ 1 an hour, said John Dias of CBS2 on Sunday.
Direct demand is coming from more than 1,400 of New York’s essential workers.
“Fighting for our rights and better wages,” said truck driver Wilford Alexander.
All members of Teamsters Local 202 at Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market are now on a full strike after the market denied their request for a $ 1 hourly increase.
The market’s counter offer was an increase of 32 cents an hour.
“It is not enough to clap for them and say that they are essential. When they asked for a decent raise, a fair number, they should be informed: ‘Yes, you can have this and thank you,’ ”said President of Teamsters Local 202, Danny Kane.
From warehouse workers to truck drivers, these are the men and women the Teamsters union said it helped feed the Three States Area during the coronavirus pandemic with a base salary of $ 40,000 a year.
“They cannot communicate, they cannot call. They have to show up, ”said Kane. “We are finally realizing that these people did not become essential during the pandemic. They were essential forever. “
Most workers say they need the raise to help their families.
Jimmy Morales, a longshoreman, said he works 10 hours a day, six days a week.
“We came here, we worked in the cold, in the rain, in the heat,” said Morales.
Many of them are paying a price for working during the global health crisis.
“Infected, many, many have been infected. I mean 300 to 400 infected people, ”said Teamsters Local 202 VP Leonardo Servedio.
Six unionized workers died of COVID-19, according to Servedio.
“Very angry that they have no remorse. They don’t care, ”he said.
Hunts Point Terminal Market is the largest wholesale market for agricultural products in the world. It serves 22 million people in 49 states.
According to the union, without these workers to separate and deliver the products, the food supply of the Triestadual will be greatly affected.
The union has not held strikes like this for almost 35 years. The workers said they will not return to work until they receive the full increase.
No one from Hunts Point Produce Market Cooperative would speak to CBS2 on camera.
In a statement, he said the market was still open for business and was disappointed that the union had left the negotiating table more than a week ago.
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