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Hunts Point Market Teamsters Authorize Strike, Demand Fair Wages For Bronx Families
(BRONX, N.Y.) – The members of Teamsters Local 202 at Hunts Point Market voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike yesterday. The workers operate the South Bronx produce market, one of the Bronx’s largest employers, which handles much of the fruits and vegetables sold in the New York area. Work could stop at the market as soon as Friday morning.
“These businesses have never done better, but they are refusing to pay a fair wage to the people who do the work,” said Teamsters Local 202 President Daniel Kane Jr. “We live in this city and just like everyone else our rent keeps going up, our cost of living keeps going up, and our wages just aren’t keeping up. These workers feed New York – they should be able to put food on the table too.”
Negotiations broke down after management walked away from the table with a final offer of raises that do not keep up with the rising cost of living. Owners also want workers to turn over part of their paycheck for health insurance and preserve a system that pays some workers less than others doing the same job.
Hunts Point Market provides fruit and vegetables for many of the region’s grocers and restaurants – and it’s a lucrative business. The businesses average $2.4 billion in annual revenues. Many owners at the market are millionaires who have prospered as worker wages have stagnated.
“When the recession hit, we compromised to support the business,” said William Brown, a long-time Hunts Point Market worker. “Now that business is booming, the bosses keep demanding more.”
“But we are fighting back,” said Ray Ortiz, who also works at the market. “95 percent of us voted to authorize this strike and we are going to stand together until we get justice for our families.”
The Hunts Point Teamsters have not gone on strike in nearly three decades.
“We would like nothing better than to be at work, being paid a fair wage,” said President Kane. “We reached this point because the owners are asking more of these workers than they can give.”