GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — For the first time in nearly 40 years, JBS meatpacking workers have secured pensions in a historic union contract benefiting 26,000 JBS workers at 14 facilities across the country, including the Green Bay location.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) made the announcement on Thursday.
The UFCW said the ratification of this contract will not only establish a pension retirement plan for workers but also bring significant wage increases and a newly created paid sick leave program.
"This contract also establishes new ergonomic safety measures to reduce workplace injury and fatigue, allows for dedicated walking stewards, and strengthens safety committees to ensure that workers are consistently protected across JBS facilities," Mark Lauritsen, Director of the Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Division and International Vice President at UFCW, said Thursday.
The contract will cover 26,000 workers at JBS Regional Beef, Fed Beef and Pork processing facilities across the country, including the one in Green Bay.
"We applaud UFCW members for ratifying this historic contract," Lauritsen added. "Through the collaboration of our local bargaining committees and the commitment of JBS to providing industry-leading benefits and protections, after nearly 40 years, JBS workers will have a pension retirement plan, giving them a path to a secure financial future."
"Every employer in the meatpacking industry should follow JBS’s leadership and reintroduce pension plans for the hard-working men and women who keep America fed."
JBS's Green Bay plant is located at 1330 Lime Kiln Rd.
