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NEW YORK – A weeklong strike at the nation’s largest wholesale commodity market ended on Saturday after workers overwhelmingly approved a deal that includes their biggest pay rise in decades and more money for health coverage.
Employees at New York’s Hunts Point Produce Market will receive increases totaling $ 1.85 per hour over three years, including a 70-cent-hour increase in the first year, their union said. Management will also make additional contributions of 40 cents per hour to employee health care.
About 1,400 members of Teamsters Local 202 quit their jobs in the Bronx Market on January 17, upset with the way they were being compensated while continuing to maintain operations throughout the coronavirus pandemic, which caused the death of six employees. It was the first strike in the market since 1986.
“Some of us can get a little bit of shelter by working from home or telecommuting. These people can’t do that, ”Local 202 president Danny Kane said in a telephone interview.
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Workers will start returning to work at the market on Sunday, the union said. About 97% of striking employees voted in favor of the deal, which will raise the average base wage for most workers to $ 20.42 an hour in its third year, the union said.
A message asking for comment was left with the management of the market, a cooperative of more than 30 sellers.
In a previous statement, management said it was “proud to have kept our unionized workers – the vast majority of whom live right here in the Bronx – at work and payroll with full health benefits” as many people were unemployed because of the pandemic.
Workers were looking for an annual increase of $ 1 an hour for wages and 60 cents for health insurance. Management initially offered a 32 cents per hour wage increase, plus 60 cents for health insurance coverage.
A weeklong strike in the nation’s largest wholesale market ended on Saturday after workers overwhelmingly approved a deal that includes their biggest pay rise in decades and more money for cover health. (iStock)
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Striking workers – picketing around bonfires and holding signs saying “Stop the war on workers” – garnered support from community leaders and elected officials, including US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York , who said workers were looking for a “transformative change” in their lives and the lives of “every food worker across the country. “
“Help from community groups, politicians and others has put us in a good position to get to the negotiating table and negotiate a fair and open deal,” Kane said.
The Hunts Point Produce Market distributes approximately 300,000 pounds (136,000 kilograms) of fruits and vegetables per day to area restaurants, wholesalers and grocery stores and accounts for approximately 60% of product sales in New York City.
The market remained open during the strike, with management bringing in temporary workers and using police and private security to protect delivery trucks. Several strikers were arrested for blocking the road during the picket line.
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