JBS employees march for better wages and working conditions

WORTHINGTON, M.N. (Dakota News Now) – On Thursday, workers at JBS Foods in Worthington held a march outside of their plant with some demands for their next contract.

As some employees got out of a shift and before some employees began their shift, they marched just outside of the entrance to the Worthington plant.

Around 100 union members held up signs and shouted for better pay and better working conditions.

Frustration, months in the making. The union and workers have been bargaining a contract since January.

United Food & Commercial Workers local 663 President Rena Wong said the company is not listening to the needs of their workers.

“We have brought up issues of line speed and safety and they’ve just rejected our proposals over and over again and it’s gotten to a point where workers decided to organize this march to send a message that we need to be listened to, that we need our bodies protected and we need a safe workplace,” Wong said. “Safe line speeds actually means safe meat product for consumers.”

Unions representing employees at JBS said meatpacking is an incredibly dangerous job and injuries at the Worthington plant are rising and are some of the worst in the industry.

Lorena Zavala has been an employee removing tails at JBS for five years. Through Wong as a translator, she said she has seen how supervisors treat the workers poorly.

“They want to abuse their authority and now that we are negotiating a new contract, we see that they’re not trying to offer us what is just. We work for JBS, but JBS without us does not work,” Zavala said.

Workers are at the JBS plant for long hours and part of their negotiations include asking for a raise in pay. Workers said what they make now just isn’t cutting it.

“People need to be able to make wages that can sustain their families, so that they can really thrive, not just merely get by,” Wong said.

“We are asking for what is just. The times right now to live in are difficult, so we’re just asking for enough [pay] and for some fairness and justice,” Zavala said.

One worker spoke about a supervisor who disregarded their injury concern about their hand becoming inflamed. The worker had to report to an on-site nurse, but the supervisor became angry because they did not approve of the worker leaving the line.

It’s one of many concerns that have surfaced amidst negotiations.

“Workers go to HR and tell them their safety concerns, but we have brought up and told stories and given examples to the company about how when a walking steward comes to a line, supervisors turn down the speed of the line, but as soon as a walking steward walks away, they turn the line speed back up. That leads to an unsafe work environment for these workers and it leads to a potentially unsafe product for the people who then purchase this meat,” Wong explained.

Workers came and went depending on their shift, but altogether, they were encouraged by the size of the crowd unified for their cause.

“I am very proud to see that there are so many people who are here today, but you know, there’s a lot more of us who work for JBS and we need to see even more people out here,” Zavala said.

“I think the solidarity here amongst workers has been amazing. These workers care for each other, they care for their communities, they care for their families and that’s why they’re out here to be able to have their voices heard,” Wong said. “These are essential workers. These are folks who came to work every day throughout the pandemic to make sure that we could all be fed and now that it’s time for them to be able to negotiate a contract, we need the same consideration from JBS. We need them to respect these workers as the heroes that they have been and continue to be.”

Union members are confident that their negotiations will produce positive change in their new contract in the next month.

The current contract expires on June 1.

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