JBS USA, the world’s largest meatpacking company and the biggest employer in Weld County, has announced a $50 billion expansion of the Greeley facility. The announcement comes just five months after The Wall Street Journal reported about poor living conditions for Haitian migrants working at the facility. The workers allege dangerous working conditions, human trafficking, wage theft, and unfair treatment. The facility currently employs 3,800 people.
The plant is expanding to increase efficiency and production capacity. The company statement said that “today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to the U.S. beef industry and the American farmer and rancher. At JBS, we prioritize ongoing investments in our facilities to ensure our company and the rural areas where we live and work are positioned for success now and in the future.”
In 2019, JBS was accused of discharging water into a local stream and violating the Clean Water Act for five years. In 2020, the plant was accused of pressuring employees to work even when sick during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six employees of the Greeley facility died from COVID-19. In 2021, the plant was cited for “repeated safety violations” by OSHA, including the death of one employee. In 2021, they paid a $5.5 million settlement for discrimination against Muslim, Somali and black employees. The company reportedly denied bathroom breaks and disciplined them harsher than other employees. In 2023, Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI) was fined $1.5 million for employing minors to work at different meatpacking plants, including four minors at the JBS plant in Greeley…