Produce workers say they're essential, strike for better pay

NEW YORK - Workers at the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx continued to strike for a second day, demanding better pay.

Hundreds of union members with teamsters local 202 walked off the job Sunday after contract negotiations broke down last week.

The workers-- who make about $18-$21 an hour-- say they are being paid unfair wages despite working an essential job of helping stock store shelves during the coronavirus pandemic.

The union is demanding a raise of $1 an hour and an additional 60 cents to maintain health insurance.

The Hunts Point Produce market says it continued to pay full health insurance for its employees despite a drop of 30 percent of business last spring due to the pandemic.