GREELEY, Colo. (AP) \u2014 About 3,800 workers at one of the nation\u2019s largest meatpacking plants went on strike Monday in Colorado in what union representatives said was the first walkout at a U.S. beef slaughterhouse in four decades.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of strikers picketed in front of the Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley, owned by JBS USA, as the sun rose Monday. They walked back in forth in the morning cold, bundled in blankets as some yelled \u201chuelga!\u201d \u2014 Spanish for \u201cstrike.\u201d Others carried signs saying \u201cplease don\u2019t patronize JBS,\u201d written in both English and Spanish.<\/p>\n
The strike follows accusations from union officials that the company retaliated against workers and committed other unfair labor practices amid contract negotiations. A previous contract expired Sunday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t really value their workers and we\u2019re the ones that help them get all their profit,\u201d said Leticia Avalos, a 34-year-old union steward and Greeley native who has been working at the plant since 2020.<\/p>\n
Avalos said she depends on the job to support her family including a 6-month-old baby, but she\u2019s willing to make sacrifices to get the company to listen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the number one place where all of Greeley works,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge impact in the community for us to be striking. I know a lot of us are worried, and hope that nothing goes even more south.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smoke was rising from parts of the plant but it was unclear if it was still operating.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson at JBS USA said late Sunday that the company stands by its contract offer, describing it as fair.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite our continued efforts to reach a fair and responsible agreement, Local 7 chose to end negotiations and cancel the contract we had in place,\u201d spokesperson Nikki Richardson wrote in an email.<\/p>\n
The union said in a news release that its workers \u201cperform some of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the country.\u201d It said JBS in many cases has charged workers $1,100 or more to offset the company\u2019s expenses for personal protective equipment needed to ensure worker safety. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey deserve wage increases that keep pace with inflation, ensure they receive healthcare commensurate with the toll this work takes on their bodies, and that allow them to live with dignity and respect.\u201d <\/p>\n
The strike comes at a 75-year low for the U.S. cattle population, with a Jan. 1 inventory of 86.2 million<\/a> animals \u2014 down 1% from the prior year. <\/p>\n Beef prices have soared<\/a> to record levels in part after drought and years of low prices led to the smallest U.S. herd size in decades<\/a>. President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter, have also curbed imports.<\/p>\n The price for 100% ground chuck beef more than doubled<\/a> 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<\/a> in the U.S., while the administration Trump has turned to a trade deal with Argentina in efforts to lower prices for food, including beef.<\/p>\n