Hunts Point labor union strikes for first time in three decades

Bronx, N.Y.-based Hunts Point Produce Market labor union workers are on strike over a wage dispute.

Hunts Point leaders and the labor union are embroiled in an escalating debate on what’s a fair wage increase after 10 months of economic and health havoc inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are 1,400 Teamsters Local 202 workers employed at the produce market, but it’s not clear how many are part of the strike, according to the market leadership. CBSNewYork reported all members are on strike.

The Hunts Point Produce Market remains open for business, according to a statement released Monday from the market’s cooperative board.

“Our top priority is maintaining the flow of fresh produce to our region,” according to the statement. “We have taken a number of steps, including coordinating with the (New York Police Department) and bringing in a private security firm, to assure safe access is maintained for trucks bringing fresh healthy produce in and out of the market, as well as for all who need to come purchase produce or are coming to work at the market.”

The cooperative board represents about 30 produce firms, which supply about 60% of the produce for New York City; it also serves the surrounding region.

An agreement was not reached by the time the labor contract ended at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 16. A union member told The Packer that about 500 members voted to strike.

This will be the first strike at the Hunts Point market in almost 35 years, according to the New York Daily News.

The union member and media reports said they were asking for a $1 per hour wage increase, and Hunts Point leaders offered 32 cents. Hunts Point leadership declined to discuss negotiation specifics.

“We are disappointed that the union walked away from the bargaining table more than a week ago and have chosen to focus instead on having employees walk off the job, which negatively impacts its members and the community,” Hunts Point leaders said in the statement.

“The pandemic has had a significant impact on our business — last spring we were down 30%. But we made a commitment to keeping the fresh produce flowing to our region and to keep our employees safe while having the opportunity to continue to work earning fair pay and benefits during this difficult time,” Hunts Point leadership said in a Jan. 15 statement.

Business losses have been devastating, while cooperative members have invested almost $3 million in personal protective equipment and changes to their operations to keep workers and customers safe, according to the board statement.

“We are very proud to have kept our union workers ­— the vast majority of whom live right here in the Bronx — working and on payroll with full health benefits as the Bronx has seen an unemployment rate of 40%,” according to the statement. “Even with the continued uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, we are offering our dedicated workers wage and benefit increases over the next three years that are a multiple of the current annual cost of living.”

Union workers earn between $30,000 and $40,000 a year, Teamsters Local 202 president Dan Kane said in the New York Daily News.

Past wage disputes have been resolved before striking point, but this time is different because of the workers who’ve gotten sick, and the risks they’ve been taking, Kane told the Daily News.

The market terminals where sales are conducted and trucks are loaded are outdoors. Plexiglass dividers have been installed and mask protocols enforced, along with extra cleaning and sanitizing instituted daily, among other enhanced safety measures.