No—JBS workers are not still on strike. About 3,800 employees at the company’s Swift Beef plant in Greeley, Colorado, began a three-week walkout on March 16, 2026. It ended April 4, and workers ratified a two-year agreement on April 12. The strike unfolded amid high beef-market prices, but the available reporting does not establish that the walkout caused higher prices at grocery stores.
What happened at the Greeley plant?
On March 9, 2026, UFCW Local 7 announced that workers at JBS-owned Swift Beef in Greeley planned to begin an unfair-labor-practice strike at 5:30 a.m. Mountain Time on March 16. Reuters reported that about 3,800 workers were involved. The planned walkout took place and lasted three weeks.
The union said its bargaining committee had met with JBS more than two dozen times. UFCW Local 7 president Kim Cordova said in the union’s March 9 announcement: “The goal of negotiations is never to go on strike, but when the Company violates workers’ rights and ignores workers’ concerns about safety and health, the Company give workers no choice but to stand together in solidarity and show the Company that they cannot be silenced.” That statement reflects the union’s account, not an independent finding about the allegations. (UFCW Local 7, March 9 announcement; Reuters, March 9)
Why did workers strike, and how did JBS respond?
UFCW Local 7 said workers sought wages that kept pace with living costs, attention to healthcare costs, and employer-paid life-saving safety equipment. The union also alleged retaliation and unfair labor practices.
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JBS disputed the union’s characterization. As quoted by Reuters on March 9, the company said it complied with labor laws, sought a fair agreement, and charged workers for protective equipment only when it was lost or maliciously damaged. JBS said it stood by its offer, describing it as “strong, fair, and consistent with the historic national contract reached in 2025.” It also said it was adjusting deliveries and shifting production to other facilities. The competing statements do not, by themselves, resolve the parties’ allegations. (Reuters)
Were beef prices at a record—and did the strike make them higher?
USDA’s March 2026 outlook reported a record in the cattle market, not a record grocery-store price. The five-area weekly slaughter-steer price reached $246.91 per hundredweight for the week ending February 22. The February average was $244.23 per hundredweight, nearly $42 above February 2025. These figures measure prices for slaughter steers in the livestock market; they are not what consumers paid for beef at retail. (USDA Economic Research Service, March 2026)
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Reuters described U.S. cattle supply as having fallen to a 75-year low and noted that high beef prices could benefit meatpackers while cattle scarcity made the animals they bought more expensive. That market context does not show that the Greeley strike caused consumer prices to rise. AP reported at the time that it was too early to determine the strike’s effect on retail prices. The cited reporting does not provide a directly comparable retail-beef price series for the period after the settlement. (Reuters, March 9; AP)
USDA’s outlook estimated, based on industry estimates, that the Greeley plant harvested 5,000 to 6,000 cattle per day. The agency said its forecast did not include the potential strike, though it did include lower slaughter levels for the week of March 9. USDA also reported that JBS planned to temporarily shift production to other facilities with excess capacity. The plant’s scale helps explain why a prolonged disruption drew attention, but the figures do not quantify its effect on grocery prices. (USDA Economic Research Service, March 2026)
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How did the strike end, and what did workers win?
The walkout ended April 4, after JBS agreed to resume negotiations, AP reported. On April 12, AP reported that workers had reached an agreement and JBS said the plant would return to normal operations. Reuters reported that employees ratified a two-year agreement.
- Wages: The agreement includes wage increases over the next two years. The union said the increases were about 33% higher than JBS’s pre-strike offer.
- Bonus: AP reported a one-time $750 bonus.
- Protective equipment and healthcare: The union said the agreement requires the company to pay for personal protective equipment and protects workers from healthcare cost increases.
- Pension contributions: Reuters reported that JBS was disappointed that pension contributions were reallocated to wages, while saying the deal remained within its economic framework.
Reuters also reported that, according to JBS, the union withdrew seven unfair-labor-practice charges. These details are attributed to the parties and news reports; they should not be read as a neutral adjudication of the earlier allegations. (AP, April 12; Reuters, April 12)
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