"Last week, hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants faced an uncertain future as the Trump administration fought in federal court to revoke their legal status and deport them. But despite these threats, the largely immigrant union workers at a JBS beef plant in Greeley, Colorado, many of them recent arrivals from Haiti, still voted on Wednesday by an overwhelming margin to strike over poor working conditions in what could become the first sanctioned walkout at a major meatpacking plant in decades."
"Outside the plant on the day before the strike vote, semis idled on either side of Highway 85 - the cattle trailers full and waiting to unload, the cows' warm breath rising in clouds through the slatted sides. Across the highway, Tchelly Moise and other representatives of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 union walked through the employee parking lot, passing out handbills to workers coming and going from their shifts."
"The daylong secret balloting was no surprise to members who had been demanding a strike vote for weeks, as tense and often contentious contract negotiations over pay and work conditions at JBS, the Brazilian multinational and world's largest producer of beef, have dragged on for eight months. Haitian workers, who comprise a plurality of the plant's night shift, have been especially upset."
Hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants faced an uncertain future as the Trump administration fought in federal court to revoke their legal status and deport them. Many immigrant union workers at the JBS beef plant in Greeley, Colorado—including numerous recent arrivals from Haiti—voted overwhelmingly to strike over poor pay and dangerous working conditions. Union representatives distributed multilingual fliers and organized a daylong, secret ballot after eight months of tense contract negotiations. Haitian night-shift workers reported being recruited in 2023 and 2024 under conditions the union calls false pretenses amounting to human trafficking. JBS is the Brazilian multinational and the world's largest producer of beef.
Read at High Country News
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