Bronx Produce Workers Go On Strike — And Win
Last month, the Healthy Bronx Podcast aired an episode on the Hunts Point Produce Market — the 113-acre South Bronx market supplying produce to NYC’s restaurants, bodegas, grocery stores and street vendors. In the episode, we tried to understand how Hunts Point Produce Market, which proclaims to be the largest in the US, views its role and responsibility within the context of food insecurity and lack of access to healthy food in the Bronx. We also discussed the challenges Hunts Point faced during the pandemic, from maintaining business operations to ensuring worker safety.
Just a week after that episode aired, close to 1,400 Hunts Point union workers went on strike for the first time in decades — and won.
The workers, represented by the union Teamsters Local 202, demanded a $1 per hour raise and healthcare support to compensate for the additional risk they assumed during the pandemic. Standing outside the market with signs reading “$20 per hour is fair in 2021,” workers declared: “We are essential. We’ve been here since the pandemic has started…risking our lives and coming here to work.” They noted that Hunts Point received $15 million in PPP loans meant to support its workers through the pandemic.
The strike drew more attention when the NYPD arrested at least five peaceful strikers for obstructing traffic. According to video footage, the police arrived in riot gear and outnumbered strikers by a factor of two. Daniel Kane, president of Teamsters Local 202, responded to the arrests in a statement: “It is outrageous that after being called essential heroes for months, several of our members were arrested while peacefully protesting for a raise.”
Support for the union workers began to pour in — first from city and state officials, including NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and State Senator Diane Savino, and then from national figures including Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Andrew Yang, and Padma Lakshmi. In a tweet, Sanders urged the Hunts Point Produce Market to heed the workers’ demands, saying “Essential workers should not have to go on strike for decent pay, and no worker should be threatened for exercising their constitutional rights.” Ocasio-Cortez stood alongside the strikers in-person, expressing support for their calls and denouncing the NYPD for exercising excessive force. Lakshmi sent 150 pizzas to feed the hungry crowd.
The ensuing national visibility and widespread media attention helped workers secure a victory. After a week of striking, Hunts Point Produce Market — which had initially offered workers just a $0.32 raise — returned to the bargaining table. On January 26, they approved a new contract with raises of $1.85 per hour over three years, along with improved health benefits.
Their victory underscores the power of collective action to hold companies accountable to their workers, and ensure they provide fair wages and comprehensive health benefits. Hunts Point supplies 60% of New York City’s produce — which means that when 1,400 of its workers go on strike, decision-makers pay attention and the company is pressured to respond. The Teamsters leveraged their bargaining power and smartly engaged national figureheads who added visibility and legitimacy to their calls. In galvanizing support from the local community, they grew stronger and ultimately won their case.
Too often, the demands of working people are overlooked in favor of corporate interests. But this time, through strategic action and a unified voice, Bronx workers took the upper hand.
