U.S. Meatpacking Workers Plan ‘Rare’ Strike at Plant Linked to Trump Donor

Nearly 3,800 meatpacking workers in Colorado now prepare for a strike that could become one of the first major walkouts in the industry in decades, so attention has turned toward a large JBS USA beef processing plant in Greeley, where union members say months of stalled negotiations pushed them toward collective action. Tension around the plant has grown steadily during ongoing contract talks between workers and management.

Union leaders say negotiations stretched across nine months without producing a new agreement, so frustration spread through the workforce and led 99% of workers represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 to authorize an unfair labor practice strike. Workers have raised concerns about proposed wage increases of under 2% per year and rising healthcare costs that continue to pressure household budgets.

Political attention has also gathered around the dispute because Pilgrim’s Pride, a subsidiary of the Brazilian meat conglomerate JBS, donated $5m to the Trump-Vance inaugural committee, which placed the company among the largest contributors tied to the administration. Public focus on the labor dispute has grown as the planned strike date approaches.

Contract Dispute At Greeley JBS Plant

Contract negotiations between workers and management at the JBS beef processing plant in Greeley have stretched across nine months without a new agreement, so tensions inside the facility have continued to build as talks moved forward with little movement on contract terms.

Frustration then spread among employees, so 99% of workers represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike that could begin on 16 March if negotiations remain unresolved. Union leaders say the company proposed wage increases averaging below 2% each year, which workers say fails to keep up with rising healthcare costs.

Union president Kim Cordova said the situation marks a rare escalation at the facility because workers have not carried out a strike there since they first unionized during the early 1990s. “We have never had a labor dispute at this plant,” Cordova said, noting that months of negotiations eventually pushed workers toward the strike vote.

Workplace Allegations At JBS Plant

Workers at the Greeley facility have raised concerns about workplace conditions during the contract dispute, so attention has turned toward allegations that employees paid out of pocket for personal protective equipment.

Union leaders say some of that equipment can cost about $1,100, so workers claim the company deducted the full amount directly from their pay even though federal rules require employers to provide the gear. Those complaints have surfaced alongside broader claims about treatment inside the plant, and union representatives have pointed to allegations of discrimination involving Haitian workers who say supervisors increased line speeds for their jobs.

A lawsuit tied to those allegations states some workers arrived after recruiters promised different working conditions, so scrutiny around the plant has continued to grow as legal claims move forward. Federal regulators have also examined labor practices at the facility, and the US Department of Labor fined cleaning contractors for employing minors before JBS later agreed to settle the violations for $4m without admitting wrongdoing.

Political And Industry Pressures Surround Strike

Attention around the strike has also expanded into national policy discussions, so labor leaders have pointed toward recent federal proposals that would allow faster processing line speeds in poultry and pork plants. The administration has argued that faster production could lower food costs for families, and union officials say those changes would increase physical strain for workers already handling demanding processing lines.

Financial performance at JBS has also entered the conversation, because company filings show JBS Beef North America reported $7.2bn in revenue during the third quarter of 2025. Union representatives say those earnings appear during negotiations where workers requested higher wage increases and relief from healthcare costs, so labor leaders argue the dispute has developed during a period of strong company revenue.

Corporate leadership has also maintained close contact with political figures, and reports noted that JBS co-owner Joesley Batista met with Donald Trump in September 2025. That meeting occurred during renewed efforts to list JBS shares on the New York Stock Exchange, so the company has continued expanding its financial and political presence as labor tensions develop around the Greeley facility.