Photo credit: USDA
On January 23, after a tense, week-long strike led by Teamsters Local 202, 1,400 employees of New York City’s massive Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market reached an agreement with management that includes the biggest raise ever won by Local 202’s bargaining unit. The victory was the latest in a series of actions by the Teamsters, as the pandemic has ignited long-simmering labor disputes at food-distribution centers across the country.
“I think the pandemic has raised the concerns of workers,” said Daniel Kane Jr., president of Local 202, in an interview with Ag Insider. “Workers in general, have been losing ground in America but I think the pandemic has brung many of these issues to light. Workers are now saying that if we don’t fight now, when will we?”