Tyson Foods announced August 13 that it would close facilities in Joslin, Illinois and Eagle Mountain, Utah, laying off more than 3,200 workers as the meatpacking monopoly consolidates production.
Tyson eliminated about 8,200 jobs at its facilities in 2026. The company said it would shift production to other plants while maintaining a “similar level of cattle harvesting,” meaning fewer workers will be expected to maintain production levels previously spread across more facilities.
Following the layoffs, and without consultation with the rank-and-file, The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) Local 154 President Robert O’Toole signed an agreement with Tyson. The deal provided workers with one to four weeks of severance, depending on years of service, and two months of pay.
One worker told Labor Notes, “The union doesn’t care about us, Tyson doesn’t care about us… A lot of immigrants work for this company, from Mexico, from Africa. That’s why they don’t care.”
Hundreds of workers rallied outside the Joslin Plant August 21 and again August 27, protesting the closure and rejecting the union deal. Workers demanded one year of severance pay and 100% relief for all workers regardless of documentation status. Signs in English, Spanish, and French read: “2500 Families No Notice, Stop Criminal Wall Street Greed”.
The meatpacking monopolies rely heavily on foreign-born workers, who face hazardous working conditions, limited workplace protections, and the threat of deportation. Immigration enforcement and the threat of deportation also give employers another weapon to discipline workers and suppress wages across the workforce.
Workers held another rally September 3 in Springfield outside the Illinois State Capital to present their demands to Governor J.B. Pritzker, who did not respond. Four days later, UFCW held a joint rally with Pritzker, who told monopoly media that he and the union hoped to find a buyer for the plant but acknowledged that doing so would be a risky investment.
As beef supplies tighten, Tyson and other monopolies have responded with layoffs, plant closures and consolidation, causing work speedups and worsening conditions for workers. Tyson projected its beef business could lose as much as $650 million in 2026. Between 2025 and 2026, beef prices rose 17% while beef sales fell 17%.
The Trump administration recently moved to increase beef imports, overturning an import ban from Mexico and striking a deal to import 300,000 tons of Argentinian beef. Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer told monopoly media that imported beef can be sold under US labels, allowing meat companies to lower costs without lowering prices for consumers.
Tyson remains one of the “Big Four” meatpacking monopolies that dominate the US beef industry alongside JBS, Cargill, and National Beef Packing Company. A the monopoly closes plants and throws thousands of workers out of their jobs, Tyson CEO Donnie King made more than $34 million in total compensation in 2025.
Image: Workers at a meat processing facility in North Carolina. Credit: Mark Stebnicki.
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