Workers at the JBS Meatpacking plant in Greeley are gearing up for a major strike, with nearly all of the 3,800 unionized employees having registered for the strike fund following another round of failed negotiations on Feb. 20.
UFCW7, the union representing the plant workers, hopes to schedule another bargaining session this week, but if an agreement can’t be reached, workers could soon begin the country’s first meatpacking strike since the 1980’s.
“If there’s no progress or they don’t resolve the unfair labor practice complaints that we have, then we will pull the extension,” said Kim Cordova, president of UFCW7, referring to the contract extension which has been in place since the previous agreement expired in July. “If the company doesn’t move, then we’re gonna have to move them.”
A total work stoppage at one of the largest beef processing facilities in the nation could come as soon as seven days after the union decides to end the extension, as a strike was authorized by 99% of members in a Feb. 4 vote.
No additional bargaining sessions have been announced, and union officials would not comment on whether they may decide to strike before another bargaining session occurs.
JBS USA, which is headquartered in Greeley, is the largest beef producer in the country with 132 facilities and over 100,000 employees. The Greeley plant processes between five and 6,000 cows per day and is the largest employer in Weld County.
Democratic Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, along with members of the state legislature, have been in contact with the union to offer support, according to a UFCW7 representative, although they have received no communications from Rep. Gabe Evans, the Republican representing the district in which the plant is located.
Union representatives have said that the company has offered a 90-cent-per-hour wage increase for most workers, but that they believe that the raise is inadequate in the face of Colorado’s rapidly rising cost-of-living.
But salary bump aside, workers say there are more issues than just pay at play.
Olga, a 24-year veteran of the plant and member of the bargaining committee, says that increases in the number of cows processed per day at the facility, along with cuts to the number of shifts and harsh punishments from supervisors, have made their jobs harder, more stressful and — most importantly — more dangerous. While she is one of the longest-serving employees, she wanted to note that the work has become more difficult and unsafe for all of the workers, regardless of age or experience.
Working in the knife shop, she makes sure that the equipment employees use to cut, move, and package the beef stays sharp. With a recent increase in processing volume — going from 390 to 420 cows processed per hour — she says that it is more difficult to maintain safety standards.
As an example, she shared how one of the shop’s knife grinders has been out of operation for roughly three weeks.
“If you don’t have sharp enough equipment to do your job, it becomes a safety hazard,” said Olga, speaking through a translator provided by the union and giving only her first name out of fear of retaliation by management. She says she’s worried her coworkers will be injured because of the equipment they are made to use.
Along with the speed of the production line, expectations of employees have risen as well, she says. If a worker misses more than two cows while on a bathroom break, they face punishment from management.
“It’s not a two- three minute thing. They have helmets, they have gloves, they have wire jackets — all that has to come off and all that has to come back on,” said Olga. “It takes them five to 10 minutes to take it off, run to the bathroom while everybody’s on break, get through the line, go to the bathroom, come back and put their equipment back on.”
While a wage increase is a major concern for her in the contract negotiations, she says that right now it’s more of a battle over the risks of emotional damage and physical injury that they face on a day-to-day basis.
Like many of her coworkers, Olga takes pride in her work and her ability to help consumers get the cleanest and purest cuts of meat possible, but according to her, the way the company is treating its workers is getting in the way of that.
“It’s been hard to just see how our dignity keeps getting sacrificed as workers more and more and more and more,” said Olga.
The production floor isn’t the only place where workers are clashing with the company, however. Several complaints have been filed by the union with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that JBS has retaliated against bargaining committee members and made changes to working conditions without proper consultation.
While JBS did not respond to the Colorado Times Recorder’s request for comment regarding the complaints, the company released a statement following the strike vote, saying that their “priority has always been to reach a fair and consistent agreement that recognizes the important role our team members play while also supporting the long-term stability of our operations and the Greeley community.”
The plant employs a large immigrant population, with at least 57 different languages being spoken by employees. While all of the plant’s workers have legal status of some kind, according to Cordova, fears over the Trump Administration’s mass deportation effort are still widespread amongst staff. Connections between JBS and the White House have only raised those concerns.
One of the company’s subsidiaries, Pilgrim’s Pride, was the largest contributor to Trump’s inauguration with a $5 million donation. Six months later, JBS’s years-long bid to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange was approved, just two days after Trump’s SEC nominee took office. The SEC had previously imposed a two-year delay due to pressure from civil society groups over the company’s history of corruption and role in the deforestation of the Amazon.
When asked whether JBS management was using the vulnerable position many immigrants face as leverage in negotiations, Cordova told CTR that “they don’t have to verbally come out, but they know the political climate that they’re in right now.”
“These employers and this industry, they hire that very vulnerable workforce to promote a heads-down, no-speak-up culture,” Cordova continued. “But fortunately, because they are covered under the union contract, workers have the right to stand up.”
Though union leaders and members alike acknowledge the difficult path ahead, the near-total turnout for last week’s strike fund registration event might be an indicator of how ready they are to take on the fight for the long haul.
“If we don’t fight for each other, then what else is there to fight for?” said Olga.
