Gabe Evans: March 2026: Workers At JBS’ Greeley Meatpacking Plant Announced Plans To Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices
Workers Reported That JBS Charged Them For Replacement Personal Protective Equipment, Proposed Inadequate Wage Increases, And Committed Unfair Labor Practices That Prevented A Contract Agreement
February 2026: Members Of United Food And Commercial Workers Local 7, The Union Representing 3,800 Workers At JBS Greeley Plant, Voted To Authorize A So-Called Unfair Labor Practices Strike. “Workers at the JBS-owned meatpacking plant in Greeley plan to begin a labor strike Monday. Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, the union representing 3,800 workers at the plant, voted last month to authorize a so-called unfair labor practices strike. The union has been in talks with JBS on a new collective bargaining contract since a previous four-year agreement expired in July.” [Colorado Times Recorder, 3/12/26]
March 2026: Workers At JBS’ Greeley Meatpacking Facility Announced Plans To Strike Over Unfair Labor Conditions. “Thousands of workers at the JBS beef plant in Greeley, one of the largest fed beef plants in the United States, are set to go on strike at 5:30 a.m. Monday, after months of failed contract negotiations with the company over what the union calls unfair labor practices. UFCW Local 7 notified JBS that the strike will begin March 16. The union said 99% of its members voted to authorize the work stoppage... At the center of the dispute are allegations that JBS has charged workers for replacement personal protective equipment, proposed inadequate wage increases, and committed unfair labor practices that have prevented a contract agreement. The union's bargaining committee has met with the company more than two dozen times.” [9News, 3/10/26]
Workers Allege That JBS Charged Workers For Replacement Personal Protective Equipment, Proposed Inadequate Wage Increases, And Committed Unfair Labor Practices That Have Prevented A Contract Agreement. “Thousands of workers at the JBS beef plant in Greeley, one of the largest fed beef plants in the United States, are set to go on strike at 5:30 a.m. Monday, after months of failed contract negotiations with the company over what the union calls unfair labor practices. UFCW Local 7 notified JBS that the strike will begin March 16. The union said 99% of its members voted to authorize the work stoppage... At the center of the dispute are allegations that JBS has charged workers for replacement personal protective equipment, proposed inadequate wage increases, and committed unfair labor practices that have prevented a contract agreement. The union's bargaining committee has met with the company more than two dozen times.” [9News, 3/10/26]
Some Workers Said They Were Charged $1,100 Or More By JBS To Replace Critical Protective Gear And Offered Wage Increases As Low As 60 Cents An Hour
The Union Said Some Workers Have Been Charged $1,100 Or More Workers For The Replacement Of Personal Protective Equipment. “‘JBS is charging workers for the replacement of personal protective equipment that they are responsible to provide,’ Cordova said. The union said some workers have been charged $1,100 or more for the equipment. The union also said the company has proposed wage increases of less than 2% per year on average — as low as 60 cents an hour for some workers — which the union said is insufficient to keep pace with the rising cost of living on the Front Range.” [9News, 3/10/26]
JBS Proposed Wage Increases Of Less Than 2% Per Year On Average, Which Were As Low As 60 Cents An Hour For Some Workers. “‘JBS is charging workers for the replacement of personal protective equipment that they are responsible to provide,’ Cordova said. The union said some workers have been charged $1,100 or more for the equipment. The union also said the company has proposed wage increases of less than 2% per year on average — as low as 60 cents an hour for some workers — which the union said is insufficient to keep pace with the rising cost of living on the Front Range.” [9News, 3/10/26]
As Of March 4, 2026, Evans Failed To Reach Out To UFCW7 Regarding The Strike Despite Representing The District In Which The JBS Plant Was Located
As March 4, 2026, Evans Failed To Reach Out UFCW7 Regarding The Strike Despite Representing The District In Which The JBS Plant Was Located. “Democratic Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, along with members of the state legislature, have been in contact with the union to offer support, according to a UFCW7 representative, although they have received no communications from Rep. Gabe Evans, the Republican representing the district in which the plant is located.” [Colorado Times Recorder, 3/4/26]
- UFCW7 Said It Was In Contact With Hickenlooper, Bennet, And Members Of The State Legislature Regarding The Strike At The JBS Greeley Plant. “Democratic Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, along with members of the state legislature, have been in contact with the union to offer support, according to a UFCW7 representative, although they have received no communications from Rep. Gabe Evans, the Republican representing the district in which the plant is located.” [Colorado Times Recorder, 3/4/26]
Workers At JBS’ Greeley Facility Voted To Strike In The Face Of Looming Deportation Threats From The Trump Administration And Raids On Other Meatpacking Facilities
President Of The UFCW Local 7 Estimated 80% To 90% Of The Workforce At JBS’ Greeley Facility Was Foreign Born
Kim Cordova, President Of The UFCW Local 7, Estimated 80 To 90% Of The Workforce At JBS’ Greeley Facility Was Foreign Born. “In Greeley, Kim Cordova, president of the UFCW Local 7, says that the deaths of the JBS workers had a galvanizing effect. ‘We started to see workers mobilize, stand up, fight back,’ she said in an interview in the union offices near Denver. By then, more than 45% of meatpacking workers were foreign-born, according to a report by the American Immigration Council. Cordova estimated that the number in Greeley was much higher — perhaps 80% or even 90% of the workforce. But because workers at JBS felt so unprotected, employees who had other options began quitting and seeking jobs elsewhere. JBS and other meatpackers tried to cover the shortage by requesting permission from the federal government to fill vacancies with temporary foreign workers holding H-2B visas. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor issued more than 20,000 temporary work visas to meat industry employees.” [High Country News, 9/1/25]
Haitian Workers At JBS’ Greeley Plant Faced Looming Deportation Threats As The Trump Administration Sought To Revoke Their Temporary Protected Status
Haitian workers at JBS Greeley plant faced deportation as the Trump administration fought in federal court to revoke their temporary protected status. “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…For the previous few days, union leadership had quietly worried about turnout for the vote. A large number of Haitian workers—part of a group of roughly 353,000 migrants nationwide—were scheduled to lose their temporary protected status (TPS) and accompanying work authorization on February 3, the day before the vote was scheduled to take place. But then, late on the night of February 2, US District Judge Ana C. Reyes, of the District of Columbia, paused termination of TPS for Haitians. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem had not decided to end their legal status because order had been restored in Haiti, Reyes wrote in her ruling, but rather because of a ‘hostility to nonwhite immigrants.’ Reyes cited a social media post by Noem in December, calling immigrants ‘foreign invaders,’ who are ‘killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.’” [High County News, 2/10/26]
- Many Haitian Immigrants Were Set To Lose Their Temporary Protected Status Before A U.S. District Judge Paused The Termination On February 2, 2026. “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…For the previous few days, union leadership had quietly worried about turnout for the vote. A large number of Haitian workers—part of a group of roughly 353,000 migrants nationwide— were scheduled to lose their temporary protected status (TPS) and accompanying work authorization on February 3, the day before the vote was scheduled to take place. But then, late on the night of February 2, US District Judge Ana C. Reyes, of the District of Columbia, paused termination of TPS for Haitians. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem had not decided to end their legal status because order had been restored in Haiti, Reyes wrote in her ruling, but rather because of a ‘hostility to nonwhite immigrants.’ Reyes cited a social media post by Noem in December, calling immigrants ‘foreign invaders,’ who are ‘killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.’” [High County News, 2/10/26]
Latino And Immigrant Workers Feared That Voting In The Union Election Could Lead To Retaliation Due To JBS’ Close Relationship With The Trump Administration
High County News: Latino And Immigrant Workers Feared Voting In The Union Election Could Leader To Retaliation Due To JBS’ Close Relationship With The Trump Administration. “Later, as workers from the B shift started to arrive, a group of Latino men in their twenties expressed deep concern about having been checked in by the union and registered as voting. Would JBS be able to access that information? The company was the largest donor to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Shortly after that donation, Trump changed the composition of the National Labor Relations Board, which then dismissed the union’s formal complaint alleging human trafficking by JBS. Months later, company CEO Joesley Batista met in person with Trump in a successful bid to lift US tariffs on Brazilian beef. JBS has the ear of a president already eager to deport immigrants, in the name of saving American jobs. A union rep assured the young men that the vote will be 100% anonymous — ‘cien por ciento,’ he emphasized — but they sat for hours, unsure whether to cast votes. ‘The fear of retaliation is very real,’ Moise told me.” [High County News, 2/10/26]
- After His Election, Trump Changed The Composition Of The National Labor Relations Board, Which Then Dismissed A Formal Complaint Alleging Human Trafficking By JBS. “Later, as workers from the B shift started to arrive, a group of Latino men in their twenties expressed deep concern about having been checked in by the union and registered as voting. Would JBS be able to access that information? The company was the largest donor to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Shortly after that donation, Trump changed the composition of the National Labor Relations Board, which then dismissed the union’s formal complaint alleging human trafficking by JBS. Months later, company CEO Joesley Batista met in person with Trump in a successful bid to lift US tariffs on Brazilian beef. JBS has the ear of a president already eager to
deport immigrants, in the name of saving American jobs. A union rep assured the young men that the vote will be 100% anonymous — ‘cien por ciento,’ he emphasized — but they sat for hours, unsure whether to cast votes. ‘The fear of retaliation is very real,’ Moise told me.” [High County News, 2/10/26]
- JBS CEO Joesley Batista Met In Person With Trump In A Successful Bid To Lift US Tariffs On Brazilian Beef. “Later, as workers from the B shift started to arrive, a group of Latino men in their twenties expressed deep concern about having been checked in by the union and registered as voting. Would JBS be able to access that information? The company was the largest donor to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Shortly after that donation, Trump changed the composition of the National Labor Relations Board, which then dismissed the union’s formal complaint alleging human trafficking by JBS. Months later, company CEO Joesley Batista met in person with Trump in a successful bid to lift US tariffs on Brazilian beef. JBS has the ear of a president already eager to deport immigrants, in the name of saving American jobs. A union rep assured the young men that the vote will be 100% anonymous — ‘cien por ciento,’ he emphasized — but they sat for hours, unsure whether to cast votes. ‘The fear of retaliation is very real,’ Moise told me.” [High County News, 2/10/26]
Immigrant Workers At Other Meatpacking Plants Around The Country Faced Arrests And Deportations
June 2025: ICE Arrested 67 People At A Nebraska Meatpacking Plant
June 2025: ICE Arrested 67 People At Glenn Valley Foods Meatpacking Plant In Nebraska. “Every seat in the waiting area of Glenn Valley Foods was occupied with people filling out job applications early Thursday afternoon, two days after the meatpacking plant became the center of the largest worksite immigration raid in the state of Nebraska so far this year…Seventy-six people working at Glenn Valley Foods were arrested by federal immigration authorities Tuesday morning, the Department of Homeland Security told NBC News in an email. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the arrests were part of an enforcement operation to execute a federal search warrant in connection to an investigation into ‘the large-scale employment of aliens without legal work authorization.’ As of Friday night, criminal charges had not been filed against those arrested in the raid. About a dozen of them have already been deported or transferred out of state. At least 63 others were taken to the Lincoln County Detention Center. The county’s sheriff, Jerome Kramer, said none of the detainees are ‘violent offenders’ and he hopes to help them ‘complete the process to correct their work status and reunite them with families or employers.’” [NBC News, 6/15/25]
July 2025: More Than 200 Employees At A JBS Pork Production Facility In Iowa Faced Deportation After The Trump Administration Terminated Their Work Authorizations
July 2025: More Than 200 Employees At A JBS Pork Production Facility In Iowa Faced Deportation After The Trump Administration Terminated Their Work Authorizations. “Hundreds of immigrant workers at a meatpacking plant in Iowa have lost their jobs and face deportation risks after their work authorizations, which were tied to their immigration status, were revoked following the Trump administration's termination of a series of legal immigration programs. More than 200 employees at a JBS pork production facility in the city of Ottumwa began receiving letters of termination six weeks ago and having individual meetings with their employer, according to Otumwa Mayor Rick Johnson and Brian Ulin, a member and spokesperson of the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 230, which represents JBS workers in Ottumwa…Many of the employees lost their legal immigration status and thus their accompanying work authorizations following the Trump administration's termination of programs such as the CHNV parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, as well as various types of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, according to the mayor, Ulin and Paulina Ocegueda, vice president of Ottumwa’s chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation's oldest Hispanic civil rights organization.” [NBC News, 7/30/25]
- Trump Administration's Terminated Of Programs Such As The CHNV Parole Program For Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans And Venezuelans, As Well As Various Types Of Temporary Protected Status. “Hundreds of immigrant workers at a meatpacking plant in Iowa have lost their jobs and face deportation risks after their work authorizations, which were tied to their immigration status, were revoked following the Trump
administration's termination of a series of legal immigration programs. More than 200 employees at a JBS pork production facility in the city of Ottumwa began receiving letters of termination six weeks ago and having individual meetings with their employer, according to Otumwa Mayor Rick Johnson and Brian Ulin, a member and spokesperson of the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 230, which represents JBS workers in Ottumwa…Many of the employees lost their legal immigration status and thus their accompanying work authorizations following the Trump administration's termination of programs such as the CHNV parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, as well as various types of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, according to the mayor, Ulin and Paulina Ocegueda, vice president of Ottumwa’s chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation's oldest Hispanic civil rights organization.” [NBC News, 7/30/25]
Evans Repeatedly Insisted That Immigration Enforcement Was Targeted At Only People With Criminal Backgrounds
June 2025: Evans Claimed That ICE Was Targeting “The People With Criminal Backgrounds, Violent Individuals, Drug-Dealing Individuals, Individuals Known To Carry Weapons With Their Crime.” EVANS: “Let's go back to square one and let's look at some of the individuals that ICE was going to detain. Rolando Enriques is a national of the Philippines with prior convictions for sex assault, assault with intent to commit rape, and burglary in California. Another guy, known gang member, sexual battery, receiving stolen property, and theft. Another guy previously deported known gang member convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and possessing drug paraphernalia. Fourth individual Mexican national convictions for assault with a deadly weapon. These are the people that immigration and customs is targeting, the people with criminal backgrounds, violent individuals, drug-dealing individuals, individuals known to carry weapons with their crime. In Colorado we have the discussion of a warrant versus an ice detainer, these are warrants signed by judges that ICE is using to go out and apprehend these individuals. Worst of the worst, ICE goes out to apprehend these individuals, protests break out from the pro sanctuary city and state crowd, it escalates to the point of violence and vandalism towards federal buildings, at which point we’ve seen this movie before. We know what peaceful protest quote unquote means, usually windows smashed, things destroyed, cars on fire. In order to preserve the rule of law and make sure the businesses and people are trying to go about their lives and make sure that people are trying to go about their business and make sure they don't suffer the consequences of violence spiraling out of control make sure we are able to preserve the rule of law. It goes back to the individuals, violent known criminals, committing other crimes. That's who is being targeted and they don't want to go quietly and so they're creating problems.” [Jeff and Bill Show via Rumble, 01:19:54, 6/9/25] (VIDEO)
February 2026: Evans Claimed That 100% Of ICE Detainees Were Criminals Or Had A Final Order Of Deportation From A Federal Immigration Judge. EVANS: “I just want to address one thing. You might have seen recent headlines talking about the percentage of folks that are in ICE custody that are violent criminals. The recent headlines said only 14% of people in ICE custody are violent criminals. Well, you have to go look at what the definition of violent versus nonviolent crime is, because nonviolent crime includes things like human trafficking. It includes things like DUI. It includes things like fraud or theft. It includes things like drug dealing. So when you look at nonviolent crimes, folks that are in ICE custody right now, it's actually 60% of individuals in ICE custody right now have some sort of criminal behavior. Of the remaining 40%, the vast majority of those have a final order of deportation from an immigration judge. So I just wanted to add to highlight that since that was some recent news just broke. And I want to highlight that specifically for the Hispanic population, predominantly because that's the major one of the major ethnicities in the district for the Hispanic population. I am the only Latino in Colorado's delegation. And so it makes me really upset when I see the Hispanic population subject to political fear for political purposes. There is a lot of narratives going on right now about things that haven't actually happened in Colorado.” [Gabe Evans Tele-Town Hall, 00:09:55, 02/10/26] (AUDIO)
- Evans: “60% Of Individuals In ICE Custody Right Now Have Some Sort Of Criminal Behavior. Of The Remaining 40%, The Vast Majority Of Those Have A Final Order Of Deportation From An Immigration Judge.” EVANS: “I just want to address one thing. You might have seen recent headlines talking about the percentage of folks that are in ICE custody that are violent criminals. The recent headlines said only 14% of people in ICE custody are violent criminals. Well, you have to go look at what the definition of violent
versus nonviolent crime is, because nonviolent crime includes things like human trafficking. It includes things like DUI. It includes things like fraud or theft. It includes things like drug dealing. So when you look at nonviolent crimes, folks that are in ICE custody right now, it's actually 60% of individuals in ICE custody right now have some sort of criminal behavior. Of the remaining 40%, the vast majority of those have a final order of deportation from an immigration judge. So I just wanted to add to highlight that since that was some recent news just broke. And I want to highlight that specifically for the Hispanic population, predominantly because that's the major one of the major ethnicities in the district for the Hispanic population. I am the only Latino in Colorado's delegation. And so it makes me really upset when I see the Hispanic population subject to political fear for political purposes. There is a lot of narratives going on right now about things that haven't actually happened in Colorado.” [Gabe Evans Tele-Town Hall, 00:09:55, 02/10/26] (AUDIO)