Workers at the JBS-owned beef processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, announced this week they plan to go on strike starting Monday, March 16. This comes after eight months of negotiations between JBS management and members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, which is the union representing the processing plant workers.
The 3,800 plant workers cited unfair labor practices, low wages and inadequate safety equipment. The union has been discussing a new collective bargaining contract with JBS since the previous four-year agreement expired last summer.
“The goal of negotiations is never to go on strike, but when the company violates workers’ rights and ignores workers’ concerns about safety and health, the company give(s) workers no choice but to stand together in solidarity and show the company that they cannot be silenced,” said Kim Cordova, UFCW Local 7 president.
The union claims JBS participated in unfair labor practices during negotiations to avoid settling on an agreement between the two parties, including punishing employees and threatening to withhold bonuses if workers went on strike. The union sent a seven-day notice this week, which in turn abolished the current contract extension in place.
Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or [email protected].
