JBS Workers Vote To Authorize “ULP” Strike

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 4, 2026

 CONTACT: Carla Wyatt cwyatt@ufcw7.com 303-425-0897 ext. 410

JBS Workers Vote to Authorize “ULP” Strike

Greeley, CO – In a decisive show of unity and resolve, union workers at JBS have voted overwhelmingly to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike against their employer, empowering UFCW Local 7 leadership to call a strike in response to the company’s ongoing illegal conduct at the bargaining table and inside the plant.

 Following a daylong vote meeting involving workers from all shifts at the JBS meatpacking facility in Greeley, Colorado, 99% of union members voted to authorize the strike. The vote sends an unmistakable message: workers are prepared to take immediate and serious action if JBS continues to violate federal labor law and prevent workers from securing a fair contract. The timing of any strike will be determined at a later date.

 “This strike authorization is the direct result of JBS’s unlawful and bad-faith conduct,” said Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7. “Over the course of bargaining for a new contract, the union has filed multiple Unfair Labor Practice charges against JBS. These range from regressive bargaining, to threats to withhold a proposed bonus and lump sum pension payment if workers exercise their democratic right to strike, to illegal intimidation and retaliation against workers and bargaining committee members.”

 “We have been bargaining for eight months and JBS has prevented us from reaching a contract as a result of their Unfair Labor Practices. They continue to increase chain speeds and create dangerous working conditions all while reducing hours for workers. At the same time, the company is insisting on being able to steal workers’ pay through improper wage deductions. JBS has left us no alternative but to authorize a strike. Enough is enough,” said Leticia Avalos, a JBS worker.

 Union leaders emphasized that the strike vote is not symbolic—it is a clear warning.

 “This vote reflects the seriousness of this moment,” Cordova continued. “JBS can either return to the bargaining table prepared to negotiate in good faith and immediately cease its Unfair Labor Practices, or it can face the consequences of its own decisions. JBS is the world’s largest protein producer. JBS has their corporate offices here, and the Greeley plant is their flagship location and largest feed-beef plant in the United States. It can afford to follow the law, respect its workforce, and negotiate fairly. If it chooses not to, our members are prepared to take lawful, protected action to defend themselves. Our members are united, organized, and ready.”

 UFCW Local 7 represents 22,000 union workers across Colorado and Wyoming. Approximately 3,800 workers are employed at JBS.

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Local 7, is the largest private-sector Union in Colorado and Wyoming. It is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union which represents over 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada, one of the largest private-sector Unions in North America. UFCW members work in a wide range of industries, including retail food, food processing, agriculture, retail sales, and health care.
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