JBS meatpacking strike grows
Nearly 4,000 unionized workers at a JBS Colorado meatpacking plant entered a fifth day of strike over dangerous conditions and pay, snarling supply chains and spotlighting labor power in an industry that relies heavily on immigrant labor. Organizers said the company 'underestimated their workers' as the walkout gained national attention. (nytimes.com) (democracynow.org)
UFCW Local 7 said it launched an Unfair Labor Practice strike at the Swift Beef/JBS plant in Greeley at 5:30 a.m. on March 16, 2026, and the union framed the action as a two-week ULP strike unless a new contract is reached. (ufcw7.org) Industry reporting estimates the Greeley complex slaughters about 5,000–6,000 cattle a day and accounts for roughly 5%–6% of U.S. beef-processing capacity, making the plant a concentrated point of national processing capacity. (nbcchicago.com) UFCW Local 7 has alleged the company charged workers $1,100 or more for required personal protective equipment, and union documents asserted JBS’s final contract offer averaged under 2% annual raises. (coloradopolitics.com) JBS told local outlets that many employees reported for shifts despite the walkout and that the company “stands by the offer we presented,” while shifting some production and workflows as the dispute continued. (denver7.com) Union leaders said members authorized the strike nearly unanimously—reporting a 99% authorization vote in February—and said the walkout is the first major beef-packinghouse strike in roughly 40 years. (jacobin.com) Market analysts estimate a Greeley shutdown could remove roughly 5%–8% of daily U.S. slaughter capacity, and the stoppage is unfolding with the national cattle inventory at 86.2 million head on Jan. 1, 2026—the smallest U.S. herd since 1951—conditions that put immediate upward pressure on beef prices. (profarmer.com)
