About 3,800 workers at JBS USA, the world’s largest meat producer, are set to strike on Monday in what will be the first labor strike in the industry in decades.

The walkout threatens to put further strain on US meat prices – ground beef prices soared 15% last year – and could prove a headache for the Trump administration as it struggles with poor polling on cost of living issues.

Pilgrim’s Pride, a subsidiary of the JBS Brazilian meat processing conglomerate, donated $5m to the Trump-Vance inaugural committee, making it the largest single donor.

Workers at a JBS USA beef processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, are set to begin an unfair labor practice strike on 16 March. The decision came after 99% of workers represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike after nine months of negotiations over a new contract.

Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7, who was a union organizer when the plant workers first unionized in the early 1990s, said it will be the first strike action ever carried out at the plant.

Workers say JBS has forced them to pay out of pocket for expensive personal protective equipment, discriminated against immigrant workers and tried to force through low-ball contract options.

“We have never had a labor dispute at this plant,” Cordova told the Guardian. “The industry hasn’t had a labor dispute for a very long time and it’s because they hire a very vulnerable workforce and the expectations are they keep their head down. They’re doing the work frankly no one in this country wants to do.”

Cordova accused JBS of dragging out negotiations, noting the company has offered less than 2% in average annual wage increases, while not addressing rising healthcare costs or allegations of systemic wage theft at the plant. Many of the workers at the plant are immigrants, many with refugee or protected immigration statuses. About 57 different languages are spoken at the plant.

“They were charging workers for the replacement of personal protective equipment, which they are required to buy for them. Some of this equipment is $1,100 and they are garnishing that at full cost for the equipment,” said Cordova. “They’ve committed unfair labor practices. They’ve terminated bargaining committee members. They’ve tried to take away options on the table, a payout bonus, if workers won’t accept their lowball offers.”

The union cited an ongoing lawsuit against JBS alleging discrimination against Haitian workers at the plant by increasing line speeds on Haitian employees. The lawsuit alleges they were recruited under false pretenses. Cleaning contractors have also faced fines by the US Department of Labor for illegally employing minors at the JBS Greeley plant. JBS agreed in January 2025 to settle the child labor violations without admitting wrongdoing for $4m.

“I think they are emboldened by their relationship with the administration. They were Trump’s largest donor to the inauguration,” said Cordova.

The company was later approved for a public market debut on the New York Stock Exchange after years of attempts. Pilgrim’s Pride argued it was part of a “long bipartisan history of participating in the civic process”.

JBS co-owner Joesley Batista met with Donald Trump in September 2025, reported Reuters, resulting in the US president taking a more favorable tone toward Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian president.

The Trump administration has also recently proposed a rule to allow increasing line speeds in poultry and pork plants under the claim that it will decrease costs for families. UFCW has criticized the proposal, arguing it risks the safety of meat processing workers across the US.

JBS Beef North America reported record revenue of $7.2bn in the third quarter of 2025, the most recent quarter with financial results released.

“They’ve never raised economic issues with us that they can’t afford it. They’ve had increased profits here and they’ve gone public. They are doing quite well,” added Cordova. “We’ve had the most workers die during Covid, human trafficking allegations by workers, understaffing while increasing line speeds and the workers can’t even afford, in most cases, to buy the meat they are processing.”

The labor dispute between JBS and UFCW Local 7 comes as the company finalized contracts last year with other UFCW locals, covering 26,000 workers in the US.

A spokesperson for JBS did not comment directly on the ongoing lawsuit they are seeking to dismiss or claims of wage theft, but said: “JBS Greeley operates in full compliance with all applicable federal and state labor and employment laws.”

They said in the event of a strike, the company plans on temporarily shifting operations to other facilities to minimize disruptions for customers.

“Despite our continued efforts to reach a fair and responsible agreement, Local 7 chose to end negotiations and cancel the contract we had in place,” the JBS spokesperson said. “We stand by the offer we presented. It is strong, fair, and consistent with the historic national contract reached in 2025 in partnership with UFCW International – an agreement that has already delivered higher wages, a secure pension, and long‑term financial stability for team members at our other major facilities. UFCW Local 7 has refused to let team members vote on this offer.”