Meatpackers are on strike for the first time in 40 years. Beef industry labor disputes may be rare by design

Nearly 4,000 workers at a Colorado meatpacking plant went on strike on Monday, marking the first labor strike at a U.S. slaughterhouse in more than four decades.

The strike began early Monday morning at the Swift Beef Co. plant, which is owned by JBS USA, a subsidiary of the largest meatpacking company and protein producer in the world. 

About 3,800 workers, represented by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7, are involved in the strike. The union says that the company has committed multiple unfair labor practices—including retaliation against workers, threats to withhold bonuses or pension payments if workers strike, and intimidation.

The Colorado action is the first at a U.S. slaughterhouse since workers went on strike at a Hormel plant in Minnesota in 1985, an action that lasted for more than a year. 

JBS has also charged workers to offset the costs of safety equipment, has proposed wage increases of less than 2% per year, and has raised health care premiums in a way that workers say is consuming their wages as the general cost of living rises, the union says. 

In a statement to Fast Company, JBS says its Greeley, Colorado, location “complies fully with all federal and state labor and employment laws,” and that it is committed to open communication with workers and safe operations.

What’s the beef?

The union and JBS have been negotiating a new contract for nine months. In February, 99% of union members voted to authorize a strike; the previous contract expired Sunday night. 

“They continue to increase chain speeds and create dangerous working conditions, all while reducing hours for workers,” Leticia Avalos, a JBS worker, said in a statement in early February. 

Safety conditions are a big concern for such workers. Meatpacking is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. 

At poultry, beef, and pork processing plants, workers are exposed to dangerous equipment, slippery floors, and biological hazards related to feces and blood; they can even breathe in bacteria from infected animals or be exposed through cuts.

Despite these conditions, labor disputes in the industry are rare. Union workers say that’s because such plants often rely on vulnerable workers like refugees and  immigrants—including those who are undocumented, who make up anywhere from 30% to 50% of the meatpacking workforce.

“The industry hasn’t had a labor dispute for a very long time, and it’s because they hire a very vulnerable workforce and the expectations are they keep their head down,” Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7, told The Guardian. “They’re doing the work frankly no one in this country wants to do.”

Cordova also suggests the company has been “emboldened” by the Trump administration; Pilgrim’s Pride, a subsidiary of the JBS conglomerate, donated $5 million to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee—more, Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office noted, than contributions from Apple’s CEO plus Amazon, Meta, and Google combined.

Meat prices are soaring in 2026

In the background of the strike is the fact that U.S. meat prices are skyrocketing; in December 2025, prices for beef in particular were up 15% over the past year, and those prices continued to rise nearly 7% so far in 2026. 

Experts say those increases are affected by overall inflation, a parasitic fly crisis in Mexico, and the fact that the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low.

It’s not yet clear if the strike will affect those prices even more. A JBS spokesperson said the company is adjusting production across its network in order to minimize disruptions.