Update: union approves deal to end walkout at key New York-area produce market
Big site for truck traffic was operating during the week while Teamsters members manned picket lines
(Adding ratification by workers)
Striking workers at the Hunts Point market in New York have ratified a new three-year contract, ending a strike that began last Sunday.
The strike by about 1,400 workers, most of whom worked on the docks and other loading facilities at the giant produce market, began last Sunday at 12:01 a.m. The entity that was struck, the Hunts Point Produce Market, is a cooperative of the many produce dealers that operate out of the facility in the southern Bronx, near both water terminals and Interstate 95.
Sixty percent of New York City s fruits and vegetables are processed at the market.
Workers went on strike for the first time in 35 years earlier in the week to demand higher wages and additional health care support as they continue to work through the coronavirus pandemic.
It s hard, physical labor usually done during the overnight hours, which is when picket lines had been busiest with visitors like representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez lending support.
There have been arrests as well, six strikers were ticketed for blocking trucks from entering the market and other vehicles had turned around in solidarity. We re part of that food chain and we d like to continue to be part of that food chain, we just think we should be recognized, Teamsters Local 202 President Daniel Kane Jr. said.
Trabajadores del mercado de Hunts Point aprueban contrato y ponen fin a la huelga telemundo47.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from telemundo47.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Teamsters rush to end strike as support grows for Hunts Point warehouse workers in New York City
Teamsters Local 202 President Daniel Kane told striking Hunts Point Produce Market workers Thursday evening that negotiations with the operators had resumed and made it clear the union was prepared to cut a deal that abandoned its own meager demand for a $1-an-hour raise.
Following a brutal year that left hundreds of Hunts Point Produce Market workers sick and at least six dead from COVID-19, approximately 1,400 warehouse workers and truck drivers have been fighting for five days for the wage increase.
Workers picket at the Hunts Point Market on January 19, 2021 (WSWS Photo)
(Screenshot)
The congresswoman’s also included a “shout out” to Teen Vogue magazine, linking to its article, “AOC Skipped Inauguration to Support a Teamsters Union Strike in the Bronx.” According to the article, Ocasio-Cortez did utilize both a bullhorn and handwarmers, and a photo shows her wearing gloves, as well as a coronavirus mask.
The wage-related strike by the produce-industry workers was prompted when management rejected the full wage increase demanded by the Teamster employees.
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