Tentative labor deal at NYC's Hunts Point averts strike at nation's biggest produce market

Workers and management at a New York wholesale produce market, the nation's largest, have reached a tentative agreement on a contract, averting a walkout.

Teamsters Local 202 President Daniel Kane Jr. says in a statement Saturday that the union's 1,300 members employed by Hunts Point Market will vote on the tentative deal Wednesday.

A walkout would have meant New York restaurants, grocery stores and homes would have to scramble for fresh fruit and vegetables.

Negotiations broke down this week when the union rejected proposed salary raises union leaders said weren't in line with the cost of living.

On Thursday, the union agreed to put off any strike action at the South Bronx produce hub until Sunday to allow a federal mediator to get involved. The original deadline was Friday.