GREELEY, Colo. – Employees at one of the largest meat processing facilities in the United States have decided to end a three-week strike and return to their positions after JBS USA, the plant’s owner, agreed to renew contract discussions, according to an announcement by labor union leaders on Saturday.
The walkout, involving thousands of workers from the Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley, Colorado, commenced on March 16, orchestrated in conjunction with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 union.
This industrial action took place against the backdrop of a significant reduction in U.S. cattle numbers, which have reached their lowest point in 75 years. This decline is attributed to factors such as drought and uncompetitive prices offered to ranchers, even as beef prices have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.
The union released a statement indicating that employees are set to resume work on Tuesday morning, following JBS USA’s commitment to engage in renewed negotiations later in the week. The striking workers in Greeley are advocating for increased wages and improved healthcare benefits.
“Workers remain united and will continue to fight,” expressed Kim Cordova, the local union president, reflecting the determination of the workforce.
Nikki Richardson, a spokesperson for JBS USA, stated that the company is “preparing to resume and ramp up operations at the Greeley plant next week.”
“Our Last, Best and Final offer remains on the table,” Richardson said in an email that did not include terms. “We hope employees will have the opportunity to review and vote on it soon.”
The strike at Greeley is the first strike at a U.S. slaughterhouse since workers walked out at a Hormel plant in Minnesota in 1985. That strike lasted more than a year and included violent confrontations between police and protesters.
JBS is the world’s largest meatpacking company with a market capitalization of $17 billion. It is the top employer in Greeley, a city 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Denver with a population of about 114,000 people.
Union officials previously criticized a 2% wage hike as less than inflation.
JBS said its contract offer was consistent with a deal reached with UFCW union workers at other plants. But Cordova says Colorado has a higher cost of living than those other locations, and health care costs ate up much of the wage increase.
The price for 100% ground chuck beef more than doubled over the past two decades from $2.55 to $6.07 per pound, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The increase has added to economic anxiety in the U.S.
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