More than 3,000 union workers at the JBS plant in Greeley, Colorado, walked off the job this week in the first major meatpacking strike in 40 years. The workers, many of them immigrants, are demanding higher wages and better working conditions as beef prices have jumped 20% over the past year. The strike comes amid labor shortages worsened by immigration enforcement.

Workers say their pay hasn't kept pace with soaring living costs, forcing many to cut back on essentials like meat despite working in the industry. The JBS plant employs nearly 4,000 people and processes 5,000-6,000 cattle daily, making it the largest employer in Greeley. Union members voted 99% to authorize the strike after rejecting a contract offer.

The strike's political implications are significant in this competitive House district where Republican Gabe Evans won in 2024. Democrats are framing the dispute as a David-and-Goliath struggle, criticizing Evans for not supporting striking workers. While JBS says it's shifting production to other facilities and hundreds of nonunion employees remain on the job, the company faces mounting pressure as the industry grapples with tariffs, low livestock supplies, and Trump's price-fixing investigation.