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Nearly 4,000 Colorado workers at one of the country’s largest meatpacking plants began a strike Monday over wages, working conditions and “unlawful union busting” by the plant’s corporate owner.

Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 voted nearly unanimously last month to authorize the so-called unfair labor practices strike. The union has been in talks with JBS on a new collective bargaining contract since a previous four-year agreement expired in July.

“For months now, JBS has been insisting on poverty-level wages for workers at the plant, offering less than 2% in average annual wage increases, far below the level of inflation in Colorado, while at the same time putting all the risk of rising healthcare costs on workers,” UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova said in a press release.

The Greeley walkout is believed to be the largest strike at a U.S. meatpacking facility in decades. UFCW Local 7 said that it had offered to meet with company representatives over the weekend to avert a strike, but the company refused.

JBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. A multinational company based in Brazil, it maintains its U.S. corporate headquarters in Greeley, and its sprawling meatpacking facility there is one of the largest in the country, accounting for roughly 5% of U.S. beef-processing capacity.

Workers say the company has created dangerous working conditions by increasing processing speeds while cutting worker hours and failing to provide “life-saving personal protective equipment.” The union also alleges that the company has violated federal labor laws by refusing to bargain in good faith and retaliating against union members.

“We want to be treated like human beings. We will not be intimidated, retaliated against, or suffer in silence,” Deborah Rodarte, a worker at the Greeley plant, said in a statement. “We work very hard, in difficult conditions, and want JBS to negotiate fairly for a contract that will allow us to live with dignity. We will stand together on the picket line until JBS recognizes our value and treats us fairly.”

UFCW Local 7 say they plan for the unfair labor practices strike to last two weeks.

JBS Meat Processing Plant workers went on strike early Monday morning, hitting the picket lines outside the plant in Greeley. The union says they failed to reach a labor agreement with the company.

JBS is one of the biggest meat processing companies in the world and has a large plant in Northern Colorado.

Employees who CBS Colorado spoke with accuse the company of creating a hostile and unsafe working environment, noting their strike is not rooted in a desire for higher wages.

"We work in a company where it's a very hard, fast-paced, dangerous job. Their safety is very important," said UFCW Local 7 board member Leticia Avalos.

The members with UFCW Local 7 who took to the picket lines on Monday after negotiations with JBS fell flat. The union told CBS Colorado it is concerned and alleges the company does not provide workers with safe conditions and gear.

JBS issued a written statement that reads, in part: "We stand by the offer we presented. It is strong, fair, and consistent with the historic national contract reached in 2025 in partnership with UFCW International ... an agreement that has already delivered higher wages, a secure pension, and long-term financial stability for team members at our other major facilities. UFCW Local 7 has refused to let team members vote on this offer."

JBS also said the plant in Greeley operates in full compliance with federal and state labor laws.

GREELEY — Thousands of union workers employed by the largest meatpacking company in the U.S. went on strike early Monday morning, calling for higher wages and safer working conditions at the JBS facility in Greeley.

Before sunrise, with the temperature hovering around 20 degrees, hundreds of employees, some with blankets draped over their shoulders, walked a picket line carrying signs asking people not to patronize the company.

The union, which represents 3,800 workers at the plant, has accused JBS of trying to squeeze more out of staff while reducing hours and creating an unsafe work environment. Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7, said the plant has increased the speed of the production line, processing 420 animals per hour, up from 390. As well as higher wages, workers want reimbursement of protective gear, which can cost hundreds of dollars.

“This is an historic moment in time to see workers come out like this,” Cordova said Monday morning while standing with workers on the picket line. “It’s a real showing of worker power.”

Strikers booed cars turning into the plant and a passerby shouted “Si, se puede!” (“Yes, you can!”) as people huddled in small groups. Union reps yelled “keep walking” to strikers that stalled on the line.

The union has filed a handful of complaints with the National Labor Relations Board alleging retaliation and change to terms and conditions of employment by JBS, also known as Swift Beef Company.

JBS spokesperson Nikki Richardson said in an email that the company has spent the past eight months in discussions with union members over a new contract.

“Over the past eight months, JBS USA worked diligently to reach a balanced and responsible agreement with UFCW Local 7. Instead of continuing constructive dialogue, the union abruptly ended negotiations and unilaterally canceled the existing contract,” Richardson said in a statement released Monday. “Their decision has created unnecessary disruption for team members who were never given the chance to review or vote on the company’s proposal.”

Cordova said JBS’s proposal to raise wages by 60 cents an hour in the first year and 30 cents annually for the next two years is similar to a national agreement the company made with unions in other states last year, but that it does not cover Colorado’s higher cost of living.

“JBS is trying to force us to take the national agreement,” she said. “But the health care costs increased 22 cents an hour (so) those folks got an 8-cent increase. That’s not gonna work for us.”

Richardson previously called the latest offer “strong, fair and consistent with the historic national contract reached in 2025 in partnership with UFCW International.”

This is the first strike for the meatpacking industry since a national-level one occurred at Hormel Foods in Minnesota in 1985.

JBS employees have been working on an extension of the expired contract since July and gave a seven-day notice that they planned to strike.

“We’ve said we don’t want to bargain against ourselves,” Cordova said Monday morning. “Our goal here is to reach an agreement. So unless they want this kind of disruption for our economy here in Colorado they should.”

Headquartered in Greeley, JBS USA has 132 processing facilities, 109,000 employees and operates in nine countries, according to its website. In Greeley, workers process cattle into cuts of meat that end up on dinner tables nationwide. JBS, also known as Swift Beef Company, is one of the biggest beef processors in the country.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Workers at the JBS meat processing facility in Greeley are preparing to strike Monday after failing to reach a labor agreement with the company. JBS, one of the biggest meat processing companies in the world, is headquartered in-part in Northern Colorado.

Employees who CBS Colorado spoke with accuse the company of creating a hostile and unsafe working environment, noting their strike is not rooted in a desire for higher wages.

"We wait until the cattle starts coming down. Once it starts to hit our table we grab our piece. Everybody grabs their piece and we start cutting," said Deborah Rodarte, a JBS employee who is striking.

Rodarte works at a table along the JBS processing line, where each day she helps cut pieces from cattle that are later sold at retail.

"It is really hard," Rodarte said. "It is physically hard, and sometimes it can be mentally hard."

She is among the members with UFCW Local 7 who are planning to strike on Monday after negotiations with JBS fell flat. She said the union is concerned and alleges the company does not provide workers with safe conditions and gear.

"The chain is fast. We are shorthanded, or our knives don't work because they don't want to give us new knives," Rodarte said.. "It is a lot of different things that can cause emotional stress, and it's our safety."

Rodarte said one concern among staff is that the company allegedly denies to provide them protective gear (PPE) that helps keep them from injury or illness. She said they ask for better or sufficient PPE and are allegedly told by the company they don't have it or won't provide it.

"Sometimes we get neglected to receive new equipment when our equipment is ripped. That is one of our biggest safety issues there. We have to have the right PPE on to protect ourselves," Rodarte said. "We have to have the proper PPE so we don't hurt ourselves, and sometimes we don't get that proper PPE because they are out of stock. And we can work like that for months. And they will leave us on the table like that for months."

JBS did not provide CBS Colorado with opportunity to interview its management despite filing multiple requests. CBS Colorado also requested the company address the allegations of unsafe working conditions made by staff like Rodarte. As of the publishing of this article, a response has not been provided.

However, the company did issue a written statement. "For eight months, JBS USA engaged in negotiations with UFCW Local 7 in Greeley. Despite our continued efforts to reach a fair and responsible agreement, Local 7 chose to end negotiations and cancel the contract we had in place," the company shared.

"We stand by the offer we presented. It is strong, fair, and consistent with the historic national contract reached in 2025 in partnership with UFCW International—an agreement that has already delivered higher wages, a secure pension, and long‑term financial stability for team members at our other major facilities. UFCW Local 7 has refused to let team members vote on this offer."

"We do not believe a strike is in the best interest of our team members or their families. For any Greeley beef team members who do not wish to strike and want to continue working, we will ensure they have work available and are paid."

"We are also committed to our customers during this period and will prioritize continuity to help prevent disruptions. To protect the long‑term stability of the beef supply chain, we will temporarily shift production to other JBS facilities where we currently have excess processing capacity. This approach ensures we can continue meeting customer needs and maintain the availability of beef for American consumers. Our goal is to minimize impact to our customers, our partners, and the broader marketplace while we work toward a fair resolution in Greeley."

"JBS Greeley operates in full compliance with all applicable federal and state labor and employment laws, and we remain committed to maintaining open lines of communication. Our focus continues to be supporting our workforce, protecting the long‑term stability of the facility, and ensuring we can continue serving our customers and community."

Ultimately, Rodarte expressed her desire to feel that she and her colleagues are valued by the company they work for.

"We should be treated better than the cattle, because the cattle is the one that is treated better," Rodarte said.

A closure would have significant impact on beef production

Cattle futures have been on a historic multi-year bull run, with no amount of price hikes in beef or negative packer margins seemingly able to outweigh historically tight cattle supplies. A development that could throw a wrench in the rally is the potential closure of the JBS processing plant in Greeley, Colorado.

The plant is one of the largest in the country, processing an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 head per day according to the Colorado Times Recorder. The most recent USDA-NASS slaughter report shows 2.33 million head of cattle were slaughtered in federally inspected facilities in January, an average of 75,258 head per day. Assuming Greeley operates at the high end of the estimated capacity, the strike would result in a roughly 8% decrease in the daily kill rate at the national level.

If a strike does occur, and in turn lower processing capacity in the U.S. does take hold, both cash negotiations and live cattle futures are likely to see immediate pressure, with feeders following closely behind. For comparison, the announcement of Tyson winding down operations at their Lexington, Nebraska plant which processed approximately 5,000 head per day also resulted in a brief sell-off in the futures market. The nearby live cattle contract fell $7.25 the next trading day following the announcement, with feeders notching a $9.25 decline.

Lower beef production would also translate to a further increase boxed beef prices, which are already up 10.7% from the start of 2026, once again calling in to question what price consumers are willing to bear at the meat counter.

United Food and Commercial Works 7, the local union representing plant employees, held a vote on February 4 where 99% of union workers at the plant approved a potential strike, accusing the packer of engaging in bad-faith negotiations. Earlier this week, the union gave the required 7-day notice that they are canceling the current contract, which had been extended from its original end date in July of 2025. This means that a legal strike could occur as soon as Monday, March 16, just ahead of markets opening for the week.

UFCW 7 President Kim Cordova said JBS has participated in unfair labor practices and not negotiated fairly on a new contract over the past eight months, according to Reuters. Workers sought wages that keep pace with inflation and wanted the company to stop charging them for replacing protective equipment they wear to do their jobs safely, she said.

JBS said it complies ‌with ⁠labor laws, sought to reach a fair agreement, and charges employees for protective equipment that is lost or maliciously damaged, Reuters reported.