meatpacking

A push for better working conditions and higher pay left 1,700 workers with no job. Union officials said there were some gains but also it was “time to go back to work.”

Workers have been locked out of the beef-processing plant for nearly 85 days but things got worse after union strike pay was reduced.

Meatpackers have not struck in more than 40 years. The Greeley walk out happened after 8 months of talks about pay and working conditions failed.

They’ve been working on an expired contract for eight months. JBS officials accused the union of not sharing the company’s latest offer with workers.

The Trump administration wants Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to raid worksites in the agriculture and hospitality industries, despite an initial reprieve this month. Experts say the policy could hurt businesses that rely on immigrant workers.

Tyson Foods said its ground beef and value-added marinated protein plant would be shuttered in February 2025 to help the company operate more efficiently.

Over the last two years, several large pork packers have closed plants in California, Minnesota and most recently Iowa. For some pork producers, this means additional miles and more money to deliver hogs on top of tough economic times.

Packers Sanitation Services, based in Wisconsin, paid $1.5 million to the U.S. Department of Labor after an investigation found it employed children in dangerous jobs, including at the Cargill beef plant in Dodge City, Kansas.

The U.S. Department of Labor said a company hired to clean meatpacking plants may have used children to work potentially dangerous jobs at facilities in Nebraska and Missouri.

Along with $1 billion in American Rescue Plan money to help small processors expand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is revising regulations intended to protect against monopoly behavior. And it's setting up an online portal to field complaints.