GREELEY, Colo. — Nearly 4,000 workers at the JBS meat-processing plant in Greeley have now gone nearly a week and a half without pay as they remain on the picket lines, demanding better pay and fair labor practices.
On Wednesday, the union representing the workers, UFCW Local 7, told Denver7 JBS has not reached out with a new deal.
When workers did not show up to work starting on March 16, the union said it was aiming for a two-week strike, telling Denver7 it hoped it would last shorter.
“We're not at impasse,” UFCW Local 7 president, Kim Cordova, said in an interview Wednesday. “The companies come back, and they have an obligation under the law to negotiate with us.”
In an email, JBS spokesperson, Hailey Fishel, told Denver7 the company “provided our last, best and final offer to the UFCW Local 7 before they walked away from bargaining and decided to initiate a strike.”
“That deal is in alignment with the historic agreement reached with UFCW International in 2025, which has been ratified at our other major facilities across the country,” Fishel said in the email.
According to the company, more JBS workers are returning to the plant each day. It claims that since 2019, base hourly wages at the Greeley plant have increased by approximately 46%.
“This outpaces Northern Colorado/Front Range inflation of roughly 25% over the same period," the company says. "This reflects real wage growth of about 16% for team members.”
The union refutes the company's claims.
“They didn't pay workers for the last week that they worked, and then there was some issues where they were threatening to take healthcare away,” Cordova said. “Our members can't even afford to buy the meat that they produce here because of JBS’ low wages.”
The strike comes as beef prices are at record highs.
The JBS Greeley plant is one of the the country's largest, accounting for roughly 5% of our country’s beef-processing, according to the agriculture publication Pro Farmer.
According to JBS, it has moved production to its other facilities to keep impacts on production low, but there is concern the supply-chain impacts from the strike could push those prices higher.
“It's been tough,” said Deborah Rodarte, a three-year employee at JBS who is striking. “You know, we're still out here every day, but everybody's here fighting together, and it's amazing to see that.”
The USDA’s report showing the latest beef prices is set to be released April 10.
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