Labor and Unions

About 3,800 workers at the Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley, Colorado, owned by JBS USA, walked off the job Monday after their contract expired Sunday night, in what union officials say is the first strike at a U.S. beef slaughterhouse in roughly 40 years. Represented by UFCW Local 7, workers are demanding higher wages that keep pace with inflation and more robust healthcare to match what they describe as some of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the country, and accuse JBS of unfair labor practices and intimidation, including one-on-one meetings to push employees to abandon the union. The union also says JBS has in many cases charged individual workers $1,100 or more to offset the company’s cost of required protective equipment, a claim that, if accurate, shifts basic safety costs onto low-wage employees in hazardous conditions. JBS, through spokesperson Nikki Richardson, insists it has offered a fair and responsible contract and blames the union for ending negotiations and canceling the prior agreement, while it remains unclear how much of the Greeley plant’s slaughter and processing operations are still running. The walkout comes as the U.S. cattle herd sits at a 75‑year low of 86.2 million head, with record beef prices fueled by drought, years of low prices, and Trump administration tariffs on Brazil that have curbed imports, meaning any prolonged shutdown at a major plant could further tighten supplies and aggravate already painful food costs for American consumers.