JBS Reaches Tentative Deal with Union, Vote Set for Sunday

After a multi-week strike, meatpacking plant workers will decide on a new contract.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 8:20pm

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A high-end, photorealistic studio still-life photograph featuring a collection of premium, polished metal tools and equipment used in a meatpacking plant, arranged elegantly on a clean, monochromatic background and dramatically lit to represent the abstract concepts of corporate strategy, labor negotiations, and market forces in the industry.As labor tensions rise in the meatpacking industry, the outcome of this contract vote could shape future negotiations between companies and workers.Greeley Today

After months of negotiations and a multi-week strike at a JBS-owned meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado, the company has reached a tentative deal with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 union. Union members will vote on the new contract this Sunday.

Why it matters

The Greeley plant is the flagship facility for JBS USA, the largest beef producer in the United States. The strike disrupted production and highlighted ongoing tensions between meatpacking companies and their workers over wages and working conditions.

The details

The details of the tentative agreement were not disclosed. The ratification vote meeting will be held on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the DoubleTree Greeley at Lincoln Park hotel. Roughly 3,800 workers went on strike at the plant starting on March 16, seeking better pay raises and free replacement safety equipment. JBS said several hundred employees continued to work through the strike, allowing the plant to remain operational.

  • The strike began on March 16, 2026.
  • Workers returned to the plant on Tuesday without a deal in place.
  • The ratification vote meeting is scheduled for this Sunday, April 13, 2026.

The players

JBS USA

The largest beef producer in the United States, with its flagship meatpacking plant located in Greeley, Colorado.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7

The union representing workers at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley.

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What’s next

The union members will vote on the tentative contract agreement during the ratification vote meeting on Sunday. If approved, the new contract will go into effect.

The takeaway

This strike and subsequent tentative deal highlight the ongoing tensions between meatpacking companies and their workers over issues like wages and working conditions. The outcome of the union vote on Sunday will determine if the Greeley plant can return to full operations after the multi-week disruption.