JBS workers to get mass vaccinations next month

GREELEY — The production lines at JBS USA Inc. will stop for at least two days in early March after the meatpacking giant and a union representing a large portion of its workers agreed to a mass vaccination drive at the plant.

In a statement, United Food & Commercial Workers Local 7 said that with aid from the state of Colorado and the National Guard, JBS will offer Pfizer vaccines to its staff beginning at 6 a.m. on March 6 and 7.

UCFW Local 7 president Kim Cordova told BizWest that the goal is to issue approximately 5,000 vaccinations among the plant’s union and non-union staff. The groups also plan to issue the follow-up shot necessary to provide full immunity around the week of March 21.

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Employees will be vaccinated based on when they would normally report to work during the day, and will be monitored for a short period of time after getting the shot to watch for adverse reactions.

Workers are also not required to work after getting the shot and will be paid as normal, as medical experts have warned that fatigue, muscle aches and other mild symptoms can occur in the hours after the vaccination.

The mass vaccination comes amid continued scrutiny of the meatpacking industry’s broader COVID mitigation efforts or lack thereof in the past year. A U.S. House subcommittee launched an investigation in early February into allegations that meatpacking plants flouted federal workplace-safety laws and put workers in a position to get unnecessarily infected with the virus, including asking JBS for documents.

JBS is cooperating with the panel’s investigation and has routinely said it is taking additional precautions to prevent the spread of the virus among its employees, including offering full pay to those at risk of developing life-threatening symptoms.

Cordova said that the union still has its issues with JBS management, and as of last week, seven of its members in the Greeley plant have died after contracting COVID.

However, she said the vaccination plan will not only protect her union’s members but also provide protection to Weld County at large because the plant is the county’s biggest employer.

“In terms of the vaccine, they have really been cooperating with us and with the state in agreeing to shut down production,” she said, mentioning that managers will be on hand to provide translation for non English-speaking employees, and that the company will maintain its $100 bonus for employees who get both shots.

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