About 3,800 workers at one of the nation’s largest meatpacking plants went on strike Monday in Colorado in what union representatives said is the first walkout at a U.S. beef slaughterhouse in four decades.
The strike at the Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley began Monday morning, said Claire Poundstone, an attorney representing workers with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7. Poundstone said she expected workers to participate in the strike line through the evening.
“We’ll be here all day,” she said.
The strike follows accusations from union officials that owner JBS USA retaliated against workers and committed other unfair labor practices amid contract negotiations. A previous contract expired Sunday night.
A message was sent early Monday seeking an updated comment from a spokesperson at JBS USA.
The union said in a news release that its workers “perform some of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the country.”
“They deserve wage increases that keep pace with inflation, ensure they receive healthcare commensurate with the toll this work takes on their bodies, and that allow them to live with dignity and respect.”
It said JBS has been charging many workers at least $1,100 to offset the company’s expenses for personal protective equipment needed to ensure worker safety.
The strike comes at a 75-year low for the U.S. cattle population, with a Jan. 1 inventory of 86.2 million animals — down 1% from the prior year. Rising beef prices have added to economic anxiety in the U.S., while the administration of President Donald Trump has turned to a trade deal with Argentina in efforts to lower prices for food, including beef.
It also follows the January closure of a meatpacking plant in Lexington, Nebraska, which was expected to ripple through the local economy and community. Tyson Foods cited the smaller herd and millions of dollars in expected losses this year.
At the Greeley plant, the company tried to intimidate workers to quit the union in one-on-one meetings, union general counsel Matt Shechter said. A JBA USA statement issued before the strike said the company fully complies with federal and state labor and employment laws.
Kim Cordova, Local 7 president, said 99% of workers voted to authorize the strike. No formal negotiations took place over the weekend after the company refused a union request to negotiate on Saturday, Shechter said.
The company statement said any employee who didn’t want to strike would have work and be paid. The company said it would operate two shifts at the plant Monday and would temporarily move production as needed to other JBS facilities.
“Our goal is to minimize impact to our customers, our partners, and the broader marketplace while we work toward a fair resolution in Greeley,” the company said.
It’s the first strike at a U.S. slaughterhouse since workers walked out at a Hormel plant in Minnesota in 1985, Cordova said. That strike lasted more than a year and included violent confrontations between police and protesters, according to the Minnesota Historical Society.
