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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The shelves at your neighborhood grocer might not be full anytime soon as most of the workers in the Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx are now on strike.
Workers say the dispute with their bosses exceeds a $ 1 per hour increase, CBS2’s John Dias reported Sunday.
Direct demand comes from more than 1,400 essential workers in New York City.
“Fight for our rights and for better wages,” said truck driver Wilford Alexander.
All members of Teamsters Local 202 in the Hunts Point Terminal Product Market are now on full strike after the market rejected their request for a $ 1 per hour increase.
The market’s counter-offer was an increase of 32 cents per hour.
“It is not enough to applaud them and say that they are essential. When they’ve asked for a decent raise, quite a few you should say, “Yeah, you can have that, and thank you,” said Teamsters Local 202 President Danny Kane.
From warehouse workers to truck drivers, these are the men and women who the Teamsters Union says have helped feed the tri-state region during the coronavirus pandemic with a base salary of $ 40,000 a year.
“They can’t telecommute, they can’t phone. They have to show up, ”Kane said. “We finally realize that these people did not become essential during the pandemic. They have always been essential. “
Most of the workers say they need the raise to help their families.
Jimmy Morales, a dock worker, said he spends 10 hours a day, six days a week.
“We come here, work in the cold, the rain, the heat,” Morales said.
Many of them are paying the price for their fight against the global health crisis.
“Infected, many, many have been infected. I mean 300 to 400 people are infected, ”said Leonardo Servedio, vice president of Teamsters Local 202.
Six unionized workers died from COVID-19, according to Servedio.
“Very angry that I don’t have any remorse. They don’t care, ”he said.
The Hunts Point Terminal Marketplace is the largest wholesale commodity market in the world. It supplies 22 million people in 49 states.
The union said without these workers to sort and deliver the produce, the food supply in the tri-state region would be greatly affected.
The union has not organized a strike like this for almost 35 years. The workers have said they will not return to work until they get the full raise.
No one from the Hunts Point Produce Market co-op would speak with CBS2 on camera.
In a statement, he said the market is still open for business and is disappointed the union walked away from the bargaining table more than a week ago.
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