Members of the union representing workers at Denver Processing have voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike against the company, a wholly owned subsidiary of JBS USA.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 said 97% of the union members voted Friday to authorize a strike in response to what union officials said is the company’s “ongoing illegal conduct at and away from the bargaining table.”
Workers at the plant in Denver process meat products for Kroger stores throughout the Southwest, including King Soopers and City Market stores in Colorado, Fry’s Food and Drug Stores in Arizona, and Ralphs Grocery Company in California.
The timing of any strike will be determined at a later date.
Members of UFCW Local 7 reached a tentative contract agreement with JBS at its flagship beef processing plant in Greeley in mid-April following a three-week strike over pay and working conditions.
JBS spokeswoman Nikki Richardson said in an email the company is disappointed that UFCW Local 7 “has chosen to pursue another strike rather than continue productive discussions at the bargaining table.”
If a strike is called, Richardson said it would be the fifth initiated by the same union in just four years across multiple employers. Richardson said the company has negotiated and made proposals that include meaningful wage increases and a one-time bonus.
The union, which represents 23,000 members in Colorado and Wyoming, approved a three-year contract with King Soopers in 2025 after a 12-day strike at stores in metro Denver.
Union officials said they have filed multiple unfair labor practices against Denver Processing stemming from two categories of illegal conduct. The union accuses the company of engaging in interference and retaliation by disciplining a bargaining committee member for attending bargaining sessions, protected activity under federal law.
The union has also accused Denver Processing of bad-faith bargaining by repeatedly stalling negotiations, failing to respond to the union’s proposals on key safety and work-life balance issues and declaring a final offer before meaningful bargaining could occur.
“We came to the table ready to negotiate a fair contract. Instead, Denver Processing wasted our time, retaliated against our committee members, and refused to seriously engage with our proposals on safety and scheduling,” Natalia Gonzalez, a Denver Processing worker and UFCW Local 7 member, said in a statement.
