GREELEY, Colo. (AP) - Employees walked off the fabrication floor at the JBS Swift beef plant in northern Colorado as part of a dispute over pay for a certain group of workers.
The Greeley Tribune reports Friday afternoon’s protest at the facility in Greeley involved a pay dispute by the “black hat” cadre of workers on the fabrication floor - apparently the highest-paid of the non-supervisory roles. It’s unclear exactly how many workers walked off the floor at the Greeley plant.
The union that represents the majority - about 3,000 - of the several thousand workers at the plant said it did not organize the protest and did not know it was going to happen.
Several workers told the newspaper the black hat position is paid better at the Cargill plant in Fort Morgan, and these employees want to be paid equally. Different color hats at the facility indicate position or supervisory role.
A JBS spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
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