January 19, 2015
By Neal Tepel
"Our members stood strong and the market knew we were serious," said Daniel Kane, Jr., president of Teamsters Local 202. "We said we deserved a fair wage, we fought for it, and we got it."
The contract deal comes on the heels of a strike vote taken by members last week. Ninety-five percent of the members approved the strike after merchants gave a "final offer" with raises far short of those proposed by the union. After the strike vote, merchants raised their wage offer. Hunts Point Market handles most of the produce served at New York area restaurants and grocers.
"We were boosted by the support of our elected officials and everyday New Yorkers," said Kane. "It's getting harder and harder to get by in this city. People really rallied around these workers demanding a wage that their families can live on."
