Workers at a slaughter plant owned by JBS in Greeley, Colorado, agreed Saturday to return to work, news reports said, ending a three-week strike.
The union representing 3,800 striking workers said Saturday that JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, had agreed to a new round of contract negotiations, which are set to resume April 9 and 10, the Wall Street Journal reported. Workers are set to report for shifts beginning Monday. With capacity to slaughter up to 6,000 head of cattle per day, the plant is one of the largest in the U.S., equivalent to roughly 8% of kill levels seen earlier this year.
Earlier: How a potential JBS Greeley plant strike could impact cattle futures and boxed beef prices
Live cattle futures had pulled back to a more-than-two-month low a week ahead of the strike in early March, but have moved solidly higher since the start of the work stoppage. June live cattle ended a holiday-shortened week Thursday at a contract high, posting technically bullish weekly high closes that suggest follow-through buying strength early this week. Cattle bulls were also encouraged by higher cash cattle trading so far this week. USDA Wednesday reported very light cash cattle trading, averaging $238. The agency earlier in the week reported cash trading last week averaged $235.69. USDA on Thursday reported weekly U.S. beef export sales of 11,900 MT for 2026, up 12% from the previous week, but down 6% from the four-week average.
Heat and windy weather across the Plains have also served to underscore snug beef supplies, which has aided feedlots in cash negotiations.
The smallest cattle herd since 1951 has served to push beef prices to records. Meat companies have lost money, with high prices for cattle squeezing profit margins, perhaps leaving the United Food and Commercial Workers local in Greeley with a weak hand. The UFCW had agreed last year to a new long-term labor contract covering around 26,000 JBS workers across more than a dozen facilities, the Journal noted. The UFCW local in Greeley had opted out of the agreement, saying wage increases wouldn’t keep up with inflation. “Workers remain united and will continue to fight,” Kim Cordova, the local’s president, said Saturday, according to the report.