Striking workers at a JBS beef plant in the US return to the shop floor today (7 April) with talks with the meat giant set to resume this week.
A new round of contract negotiations between the union and the US unit of the Brazilian firm are due to begin on 9-10 April, bringing an end to more than three weeks of industrial action, according to the staff union.
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The strike at the facility in Greeley in Colorado started on 16 March after workers at the site agreed to walk out. The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 unit claimed at the time it had been in talks with JBS for more than eight months over new contracts.
UFCW had accused JBS of “putting profits ahead of its people” as it sought to secure a deal to address safety equipment issues, pay and benefits.
Announcing the return to work in a statement this weekend, UFCW said “thousands” of staff had taken part in the strike.
“Despite JBS’s efforts to deceive workers and the media as to the plant’s status, the plant has been almost completely idle with only a miniscule fraction of production occurring at quality levels far below that which skilled union workers can produce,” the statement read.
Kim Cordova, the president of UFCW Local 7 and the union’s chief spokesperson, added: “Workers remain united and will continue to fight until JBS fully ends its unfair labour practices and gives workers a contract offer that protects them, shows workers the respect they deserve, and pays them a liveable wage.
“This fight will continue and workers can take strength from the community members, farmers and ranchers, and elected officials who have joined them in this battle. We will not stop until JBS rectifies the suffering it has brought on these workers and the American people as a whole.”
Asked for comment by Just Food, a JBS spokesperson said: “This decision by the union comes without any new agreement or change to the company’s original offer. Throughout this process, we have remained committed to good-faith negotiations and to operating our facility safely, responsibly, and in compliance with all regulatory standards.”
The spokesperson added: “Our last, best and final offer remains on the table. This comprehensive proposal includes meaningful wage increases, a pension, and other valuable benefits designed to support our team members and their families. We believe this is a strong and competitive package, and we hope employees will have the opportunity to review and vote on it soon.”
UFCW Local 7 went on to say in the weekend statement that JBS and other unidentified “large meatpackers paid a reported $200m to resolve allegations that the companies had unlawfully conspired to suppress wages in beef processing nationwide”.
The union claimed JBS had offered workers average wage increases of 1.5% a year, which it said were “far below both historic and anticipated inflation”.
It also lodged the accusation against JBS that the company has “recently doubled down on its illegal tactics by threatening to discontinue their [workers’] healthcare benefits, and by threatening workers with termination if they did not resign from the union and refuse to strike”.
The Greeley plant was not part of a new national contract ratified by JBS and the UFCW national office last year taking in other US processing facilities, the union confirmed with Just Food. It included wage increases, a new paid sick leave programme and a pension retirement plan. It set average hourly wage compensation rates at $23-24.
The offer for the Greeley workers now put on the table is for a $0.60 increase in pay at ratification followed by a further $0.30 in July this year and another $0.30 in July 2027, the union spokesperson said.
It also includes a pension, adjustments to holiday entitlements and bereavement leave.
