A Major Strike of Beef Workers Pauses in Colorado—but Workers Say the Fight Isn’t Over

Thousands of striking beef workers at a JBS plant in Greeley, Colorado agreed Saturday to return to work on April 7 after the world's largest meatpacker agreed to resume contract negotiations on April 9 and 10. The workers, members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, struck on March 16 over wages, safety equipment, and working conditions at a facility that processes about seven percent of U.S. beef. The plant's workforce is predominantly foreign-born, including workers from Haiti, Somalia, Burma, and Mexico, and the union is demanding an end to what it calls illegal labor practices and a wage offer that reflects Colorado's inflation rate—rejecting JBS's less-than-two-percent annual increase. UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova said workers "remain united and will continue to fight" until securing a stronger contract, signaling the pause is tactical rather than a settlement. JBS maintained its "Last, Best and Final offer" remains unchanged and denied any labor law violations.