Meatpacking workers get new contract after strike
Union claims ‘all gains…and not a single concession’
Nearly 4,000 union workers at a massive meatpacking plant in Greeley ended a three-week strike with a new contract that the union described as “all gains…and not a single concession.”
The two-year contract offers wage increases and bonuses in addition to shielding workers from increasing health care costs and reimbursing them for protective gear.
The Greeley plant is owned by the Brazil-based JBS, the world’s biggest meat company, which rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars in profit each year.
Negotiations between the union and JBS went on for eight months before workers called a strike. The union had accused the company of unfair labor practices, including attempting to intimidate workers not to strike, but those complaints were dropped as part of the new deal.
Need to Know
💵 The state budget is getting closer to completion after the House passed it over the weekend. Lawmakers had to cut a broad swath of programs – especially those related to health care – to make up for a $1.5 billion shortfall caused by constitutional spending limits and lower-than-expected tax revenues. (Denver Post, Denver Gazette)
💉 A program to reduce lethal opioid overdoses in Aurora has shown success, according to Aurora Fire Rescue officials who administer the initiative. Under the program, firefighters who respond to overdose calls leave behind overdose-reversing medication in case the person needs it again. (Sentinel)
🖐️ Residents of downtown Denver’s Golden Triangle neighborhood say authorities haven’t done enough to address homelessness and crime. The neighborhood includes the state capitol building as well as history and art museums. Some residents said the city’s enforcement efforts seemed to push problems around rather than solve them at the root. (Westword)
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Something Good
🏜️ I went to Arizona last week for a visit with family and took a quick side trip to the Grand Canyon. The geography was really impressive and it was interesting to see the Colorado River from such a different perspective. I made an Instagram post with some of my favorite pictures. My overall review is: definitely worth seeing once, but once is probably enough.