US union accuses meat giant JBS of human-trafficking violations

A sign showing the JBS corporate logo. Credit: JBS

A US union has posed a series of allegations against the local unit of Brazilian meat giant JBS, including accusations of human trafficking.

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 has issued a lengthy report specifically related to a JBS USA meat plant in Greeley, Colorado, operated by the subsidiary Swift Beef Company.

UFCW said it had “uncovered” issues relating to “potential illegal tactics and labour human-trafficking violations” at the facility.

Based on information gathered from union-represented workers at the site, UFCW said it had uncovered “numerous cases of abusive practices both within and outside of the workplace, including management-led human trafficking utilising the social media platform TikTok”.

According to the report, other charges lodged by the union include: “charging immigrant workers for company-provided rent in squalor conditions, job applications and transportation; threats and intimidation against workers and their families abroad; dangerously high production line speeds; and withholding mail including medical bills and important paperwork”.

JBS USA has refuted the allegations, noting in a statement the company “takes the safety and welfare of all our team members seriously”.

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It added: “Since being made aware of this situation, we have put new HR leaders in place at the facility and added new recruitment training programmes to ensure our teams follow JBS’ strict hiring compliance policies. We are also working with the UFCW International to educate prospective and current team members about our hiring policies enterprise-wide.”

The statement continued: “JBS does not charge team members or applicants for any pre-employment services, including transportation, application, pre-hire medical requirements, or housing, nor do we require them to live in any specific location.

“Any allegations of poor living conditions are unacceptable and upsetting. We want all of our employees to have access to safe housing and the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their families.”

UFCW said it has reported the “conduct” to several law enforcement and regulatory bodies, including the US Department of Labor and the US Occupational Safety (OSHA) and Health Administration.

JBS USA said it had also notified local authorities of its concerns following the union report, adding it “will cooperate with any resulting investigation”.

Just Food has contacted the Department of Labor to gauge its reaction to the UFCW report and what action it might plan to take. This publication has also asked the OHSA for its comment.

Kim Cordova, the president of UFCW Local 7, said in the union’s report: “What has happened to these workers, who came to our country legally in search of a better life for themselves and their families, is completely unacceptable.

“We call on all relevant law enforcement and regulatory agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the treatment of our members, and we will continue to do everything we can to bring full accountability.”

According to the UFCW, the “overwhelming majority of workers at the [Greeley] plant are immigrants”, including people from Latin America, the Horn of Africa and Myanmar.

It also suggested there are “hundreds of Haitian workers” employed at the site, and, from the end of 2023 and during 2024, “new hires are now largely Haitian refugees”.

The union added: “It is not uncommon for many to leave within a month of hiring because of the dangerous working conditions due to high line speeds within the facility, threats and intimidation.”

Earlier this year, JBS and another local meat heavyweight, Tyson Foods, agreed to pay a combined $127m to settle a US lawsuit that accused the meat giants of conspiring to keep workers’ wages low.

During the pandemic, JBS’ Greeley plant was among some of the company’s manufacturing sites to be hit by the OHSA for violations of food-safety policies.