Haitian Workers at JBS Greeley Vote to Strike Amid TPS Deportation Fight
Mar 7th 2026
Nearly 99 percent of workers at JBS's Greeley, Colorado plant authorized a strike over alleged recruitment abuses, overcrowded employer-provided housing, and dangerous line speeds, even as a judge temporarily blocked the planned end of Haitian temporary protected status.
- Union members at the JBS beef plant in Greeley voted nearly 99 percent to authorize a strike.
- Many night shift workers are recent arrivals from Haiti who say they were promised free housing but were charged for overcrowded motel rooms and assigned to the fastest, hardest line, which workers say can reach up to 440 head of cattle per hour versus about 300 on day shift.
- A class action lawsuit by some Haitian workers alleges false recruitment practices and unsafe working conditions.
- A federal judge temporarily paused the planned termination of Haitian temporary protected status, giving short-term relief but leaving the issue open to further appeals.
- Union leaders have given JBS one week to return to bargaining and warned workers are prepared to strike, while workers say they fear immigration retaliation despite an anonymous ballot.