A historic labor strike at one of the country’s largest beef processing plants is sending early warning signs throughout the U.S. cattle and beef industry. Both producers and consumers may feel the impact.
Workers at the JBS beef plant in Greeley, Colorado, represented by UFCW Local 7, walked off the job this week after failing to reach an agreement on wages and workplace safety. The facility, one of the largest in the country, employs roughly 3,800 workers and plays a major role in processing fed cattle from across the High Plains, holding about 6 percent of the total U.S. beef slaughterhouse capacity.
According to union officials, the move represents the first U.S. meatpacking strike in roughly 40 years.
“For months now, JBS has been insisting on poverty-level wages for workers at the plant … while at the same time putting all the risk of rising healthcare costs on workers,” said Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7 told CNN.