On August 14, over 100 RWDSU/UFCW members who work at GrowNYC in New York City ratified their first union contract. GrowNYC is a large-scale non-profit with over 60 locations in all five boroughs of New York City, and these workers are employed in positions ranging from greenmarket site leads to farmstand program assistants at the organization’s greenmarkets and farmstands, as well as in its teaching garden, warehouse and headquarters.
The company first recognized the union in 2023, making this a significant milestone in resolving many issues and paving the way for lasting improvements. The workers originally sought to organize their union around a myriad of prolonged safety issues amid the rebound of post-pandemic New York City, including workplace harassment; sexual harassment; seasonal layoffs with no call-back structure; a lack of structure when it came to job duties and tasks at work; and favoritism by management.
The three-year contract addresses these issues and more by providing:
- Improved protection from harassment from customers and the public by creating customer codes of conduct, providing Incident PTO to workers to recover from traumatic events, and exploring further remedies, including potentially banning repeat harassers/offenders from GrowNYC services.
- Health and safety improvements for field workers, including extreme weather pay bonuses, restroom access, relief seating, and protective weather-appropriate clothing and equipment.
- Union representation recall for seasonal workers.
- Wage bonus for workers who utilize fluency in a second language on the job and additional improved language access for the communities served.
- Organization-wide starting minimum wage of $21 per hour, which goes up to $22 per hour after a new worker’s first annual raise. Annual increases of either 3.5 percent or 4.5 percent, depending on tenure.
“This contract ratification represents the culmination of three long years of organizing and negotiating,” said Win-Sie Tow (she/her), who is a greenmarket site lead at GrowNYC and bargaining committee member. “For the first time, we will have guaranteed annual raises, just cause protections, access to chairs at all sites, and bonuses for multilingual speakers, to name a few. While the struggle and advocacy efforts will continue, we hope to achieve and sustain impactful collaboration, as well as future gains. This agreement shows what’s possible when workers stand in solidarity and disrupt the status quo.”
“It’s been over three years since my co-workers and I first started organizing with the RWDSU, so to finally reach a first contract is an amazing feeling,” said Tammy Castrillo (she/her), who is an Upper Manhattan and Bronx GrowNYC greenmarkets site lead and bargaining committee member. “I’m excited to see all the changes that GrowNYC will implement through this contract actually take effect, mainly when it comes to diversity, and health and safety.”
“This first union contract for GrowNYC workers is historic,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum. “GrowNYC workers feed our city, educate our communities, and keep New York’s beloved greenmarkets running in all kinds of weather. Their fight for a union was about safety and fairness on the job, and this contract delivers. From protections against harassment and extreme weather pay, to improved language equity and significant wage increases, they’ve set a new standard that will lift up not only GrowNYC workers, but workers across the sector.”
