Hunts Point Terminal Market, workers reach deal

Workers at the Hunts Point Terminal Market may have reached a deal that could end their need to go on strike.  Employees at the nation's largest wholesale produce market reached a tentative agreement

News 12 Staff

Jan 19, 2015, 4:05 AM

Updated 3,612 days ago

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Workers at the Hunts Point Terminal Market may have reached a deal that could end their need to go on strike. 
Employees at the nation's largest wholesale produce market reached a tentative agreement on Saturday. The work stoppage would have left restaurants, grocery stores and residents across the city scrambling for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Talks broke down earlier last week when the union rejected a proposed raise in salary. The deadline, originally set for Jan. 9, was pushed back to allow a federal mediator to become involved.
Although details of the agreement were not immediately released, management says they are happy that they finally came to a consensus.
Teamsters Local 202 President Daniel Kane Jr. released a statement, saying, "Our members stood strong and the market knew we were serious. We said we deserved a fair wage, we fought for it and we got it."
Hunts Point Produce Cooperative Spokesman Robert Leonard also commented on the deal, saying, "At the end of the day, discussions resulted in a fair package which goes a long way toward addressing the issues raised by management and labor."
Employees say that although they reached a tentative deal, nothing is set in stone yet. They say they will strike if the deal falls through.
Teamsters Local 202 says its 1,300 union members employed by the market will vote on the deal this Wednesday.