Thousands of Meatpacking Workers Strike at JBS Plant in Colorado

Read our editorial on the significance of strikes here.

About 3,800 meatpacking workers at a JBS facility in Greeley, Colorado, went on strike March 16 over unfair labor practices during contract negotiations.

The workers, represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, are striking at the largest beef slaughter plant in the US, marking the first strike in the plant’s history. The walkout follows a February vote in which 99% of participating workers authorized a strike. Workers remained on an expired contract since July as negotiations stalled. The union initiated the strike after ending a contract extension and expects the strike to last two weeks.

Union officials accuse JBS of firing union supporters, threatening cuts to pay and benefits, and holding mandatory meetings to discourage strike participation. Supervisors warned workers they could face layoffs if they joined the strike, according to the union.

Workers are demanding higher wages and safer conditions. The company has proposed wage increases of 60 cents per hour in the first year and 30 cents in each of the following two years, alongside a 22-cent increase in hourly health care contributions. The paltry “raise” is in reality a steep real-wage decline amid soaring inflation.

Workers report being required to replace personal protective equipment at their own expense. Some say they have been denied replacements for dull knives, increasing the risk of injury, while others have worked with damaged protective gear for years.

JBS has cut hours while increasing production speeds. Line speeds at the Greeley plant have risen from 390 to 420 animals per hour, increasing the pace of work and risk of injury.

Workers at the plant have organized actions independently from union leadership in recent years, including walkouts during the COVID-19 pandemic and the more recent work slow-downs that prompted union leadership to hold the strike authorization vote in February.

The strike comes as the US cattle herd has fallen to its lowest level in decades, tightening supply across the industry. At the same time, processing margins have come under pressure, with some plants recently operating at a loss. Monopolies such as JBS seek to minimize costs and increase profits by shutting down plants and laying off hundreds of workers, while intensifying the exploitation of remaining workers under dangerous conditions and depressed wages.

Image: Striking JBS employees in Greeley, Colorado. Credit: UFCW Local 7 Instagram.

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