Members of United Food and Commercial Workers International Union held a practice picket at grocery delivery company FreshDirect’s Brooklyn Crossdock in Sunset Park on Monday, as the contract for union members is set to expire on Friday.
Under the existing union contract, 14% of deliveries are permitted to be fulfilled by third parties. However, FreshDirect is proposing to outsource 40% of deliveries this year, and then increase it to 50% in 2027 and 60% in 2028, union officials said.
This could eliminate hundreds of full-time union jobs, officials from Local 2013 said.
“Today we started to make our voices heard that we won’t let FreshDirect destroy our good, full-time union jobs,” said Wilfredo Chapel, a FreshDirect driver and UFCW Local 2013 bargaining committee member. “If FreshDirect is able to negotiate away our jobs to third-party companies, everyone suffers – us, our families, our customers, and our communities."
New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés said the 670 union workers deserve a fair contract.
"We do not want a city that’s part-timing people and treating them like cogs on a wheel," she said. "We want dignity, we want full-time work, we want a fair contract.”
FreshDirect has gone through various corporate ownership in the last several years. In the fall of 2020, they were acquired by Dutch grocer Ahold Delhaize. The company was later sold to the Turkish food delivery company, Getir, in 2023. Now, FreshDirect and Getir US Inc. are owned by Nazim Salur.
“I’m proud to have stood with our FreshDirect members today,” said UFCW Local 2013 President Louis “Mark” Carotenuto. “Their determination to protect full-time, union jobs is only made stronger by support from customers, elected officials, and community members."
A FreshDirect spokesperson said the company respects employees’ right to engage in lawful union activity and remains actively engaged in the collective bargaining process.
"The company continues to negotiate in good faith with the union, and its current proposal ensures that no employees would be laid off due to outsourcing while supporting fair wages, job security, and the long-term sustainability of the business so we can continue faithfully serving all our customers," the spokesperson said in a statement.
