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UFCW employees with FreshDirect held practice pickets on Feb. 2 at the Brooklyn location, supported by Council Member Alexa Avil\u00e9s (center) and Assembly Member Marcela Mitanyes.<\/p>\n
Union workers at the grocery delivery company FreshDirect<\/a> are preparing for a possible strike over the company\u2019s proposal to outsource more deliveries to a third-party company.\u00a0<\/p>\n FreshDirect\u2019s drivers, runners and loaders are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 2013, which has a bargaining unit of about 670 employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n The current contract, which expired at the end of 2025 and was extended until Feb. 6, allows 14% of deliveries to be handled by third parties. In negotiations, FreshDirect is now proposing to increase that number to 40% this year, 50% in 2027 and 60% in 2028, which UFCW members say will result in the loss of union jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n UFCW employees with FreshDirect, headquartered in the South Bronx at 2 St. Ann\u2019s Ave., held practice pickets this week at the Brooklyn location, joined by Council Member Alexis Avil\u00e9s and Assembly Member Marcela Mitanyes, and in Hackensack, New Jersey. The union remains in negotiations with the company.<\/p>\n Longtime workers say their main fight is not about increasing wages or benefits but preserving job stability.\n<\/p>\n Wilfredo Lopez, 40, has worked for Fresh Direct for 15 years and told the Bronx Times there is \u201ca lot of tension\u201d surrounding the delivery proposal. As a union shop steward, he said he\u2019s receiving \u201cnonstop\u201d calls from concerned employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lopez said his career at Fresh Direct has allowed him to support a good lifestyle and put two of his four children through college. He said he\u2019s generally satisfied with his pay and benefits, which have gotten \u201cbetter and better\u201d over the years.\u00a0<\/p>\n For instance, in the last round of negotiations, workers won a 401(k) match, whereas they previously had retirement options with no company match, Lopez said. <\/p>\n \u201cThings just started getting better, and now you\u2019re gonna rip it away from us.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The union battle comes amid rising demand for workers in the processes of home delivery. For instance, delivery truck driver jobs are expected to grow<\/a> by 8% by 2034 \u2014 much faster than average industry growth, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n Even if Lopez could easily get hired elsewhere, he said he worries about losing seniority. Having to start at a new company would likely involve \u201cbasically putting me back down\u201d with the most undesirable schedule and routes, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lopez said he also worries about the effect on customer service if external parties take over most of the company\u2019s deliveries.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Many FreshDirect customers see the same workers repeatedly and build relationships with them, he said. Current workers care about the small touches, such as calling customers as soon as a delivery arrives, not crushing fragile items or lifting heavy beverage cases out of bags for elderly customers, Lopez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company has said no workers would be laid off from its proposal. In a statement to the Bronx Times, a FreshDirect spokesperson said the company committed to no layoffs during the contract term and guaranteed weekly hours for hourly employees, neither of which currently exists.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFreshDirect is seeking increased flexibility with third-party delivery options for the long-term sustainability of the business, to preserve jobs, and to remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic and cost-sensitive on-demand delivery market,\u201d the statement said in part.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Lopez said he worries that the company\u2019s proposal means it is gradually moving to eliminate UFCW\u2019s segment of the workforce altogether.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I was secure in my job \u2014 until recently,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n Establishing in the South Bronx\u00a0<\/p>\n The presence of FreshDirect in the South Bronx has been controversial<\/a> from the start, when the company moved its headquarters from Long Island City to Port Morris and opened<\/a> in 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2013, the local nonprofit South Bronx Unite sued<\/a> the city and state to try to block the move, arguing that FreshDirect\u2019s presence would increase traffic congestion, air pollution and noise while providing mainly low-paying jobs.<\/p>\n Since opening in Port Morris, FreshDirect has partnered with prominent organizations, including the New York Yankees and City Harvest, and says it has hired<\/a> 1,300 Bronx residents annually.<\/p>\n But UFCW leaders slammed the company\u2019s third-party delivery proposal, saying it undermines the promises made when it established itself in the Bronx.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cFreshDirect workers have spent years negotiating strong union contracts that establish safety standards, create fair working conditions, and improve the lives of workers. But FreshDirect wants to outsource the hard work of the dependable workforce who built this business \u2014 a direct trade of good, union jobs for low-paying, zero-benefit gig work,\u201d said UFCW Local 2013 President Louis M. Carotenuto in a statement.<\/p>\n Carotenuto also pointed to $130 million in city subsidies<\/a> the project received to move its headquarters to the Bronx in exchange for providing thousands of good jobs for locals.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFreshDirect has received millions of taxpayer dollars because they were creating full-time, union jobs for members of the community. New York is a Union town, and we\u2019re going to fight for these good union jobs for our members and all working New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/FreshDirect2018_5f60b6.jpeg\")
Elected officials cut the ribbon at FreshDirect\u2019s headquarters in Port Morris in 2018. Photo by Aracelis Bautista<\/p>\n