[ [link removed] ]Labor Week with Team AOC



In honor of Labor Week, we want to share with you the story of the Hunts
Point Workers’ strike and what we can learn from it.

In case you didn’t know, The Bronx is home to Hunts Point Market, the
largest wholesale produce market in the country that provides more than
half the fruits and vegetables to New York City.

After working tirelessly during the pandemic – putting themselves and
their families at risk to feed New Yorkers – they asked for a $1 per hour
raise and were denied.

So in January 2021, more than 1,400 workers represented by the Teamsters
Local 202 union united together on the picket line after voting to strike.
Hundreds of workers walked off the job for the first time in over three
decades.

Alexandria skipped the inaugural festivities to instead join workers on
the picket line. She said to the crowd:

“When you're standing on this line, you're not just asking for $1, you are
asking for transformational change for your lives, and for the lives of
every food worker across this country, for kids of food workers across the
country.

Because there's a lot of things upside down right now in our economy. And
one of those things that’s upside down is the fact that a person who is
helping get the food to your table cannot feed their own kid. That's
upside down.

We need you and we’ve got to pay you like we need you. Because we do. You
are not replaceable, you are not expendable, you are valuable. It’s the
solidarity of our actions that are going to get us through. It is sticking
together.”

[ [link removed] ]AOC on picket line at Hunts Point

At first, management refused to budge. A corporation that enjoyed millions
in PPP loans and tax giveaways was fighting a $1 raise for essential
workers who risked their lives to feed us.

But then, on the seventh day of their walkout, the union won – ratifying a
new three-year contract with the biggest pay increase in over 30 years.^1

This example proves just how powerful it is when workers join together to
fight for their rights. Knowing when and how to organize your co-workers
can be a daunting task, but we’re here to help.

[ [link removed] ]If you’re interested in learning how to organize your workplace, click
here for a list of tips, resources, and virtual trainings to help you get
started in formulating a strategy and winning.

Thank you so much for reading and stay tuned for more emails as part of
our Labor Week series.

Happy organizing,

Team AOC

P.S. To watch Alexandria’s full remarks on the picket line, [ [link removed] ]click here.

 

1 - [ [link removed] ]New York Times


 

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