On Wednesday, United Food & Commercial Workers Local 7, a local labor union, announced that 99% of JBS union workers voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike. This comes after the union said JBS violated federal labor laws and prevented workers from securing a fair contract.-

“This strike authorization is the direct result of JBS’s unlawful and bad-faith conduct,” said Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7. “Over the course of bargaining for a new contract, the union has filed multiple Unfair Labor Practice charges against JBS. These range from regressive bargaining, to threats to withhold a proposed bonus and lump sum pension payment if workers exercise their democratic right to strike, to illegal intimidation and retaliation against workers and bargaining committee members.”

A union worker at JBS said they have been bargaining for eight months, and JBS is continuing to increase chain speeds and creating dangerous work conditions. The union said it’s reducing the hours of workers and is paying them through improper wage deductions.

“This vote reflects the seriousness of this moment,” said Cordova. “JBS can either return to the bargaining table prepared to negotiate in good faith and immediately cease its Unfair Labor Practices, or it can face the consequences of its own decisions. JBS is the world’s largest protein producer. JBS has their corporate offices here, and the Greeley plant is their flagship location and largest feed-beef plant in the United States. It can afford to follow the law, respect its workforce, and negotiate fairly. If it chooses not to, our members are prepared to take lawful, protected action to defend themselves. Our members are united, organized, and ready.”

However, JBS said that it presented an office with wage increases and pension plans that workers at other facilities have already agreed to.

After months of good-faith negotiations with UFCW Local 7 in Greeley, JBS USA has presented a comprehensive offer that reflects the national agreement reached with UFCW International and accepted at our other large processing facilities throughout the U.S.

This agreement includes meaningful wage increases and a pension plan, providing both near-term and long-term financial security for team members, in addition to other strong benefits. Workers at our other locations have already agreed to these terms and are benefiting from these improvements today.

Our 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.

We respect the collective bargaining process and remain hopeful that the local union will choose to move forward with this agreement so we can continue focusing on providing good-paying jobs, partnering with cattle producers in the region and serving our customers with high-quality food.

JBS USA

The union workers have authorized a strike, but the union said the timing of the strike will come at a later date. In total, Local 7 said there are about 3,800 union workers employed at JBS.