COVID In Colorado: Union At JBS Plant In Greeley Planning On-Site Vaccine Clinic
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4) - The union at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley has put together an on-site COVID-19 vaccine clinic. Approximately 3,000 workers will receive their first vaccine on March 5 and 6. That includes both union and non-union members.
The plant was the site of one of the first outbreaks in Colorado. Six members of the union have died and a large number of its 500 members tested positive.
JBS USA issued the following statement about the vaccine clinic to CBS4:
JBS USA, in partnership with the Colorado Governor's office, the National Guard, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and our local union partners at UFCW and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, will provide vaccine access to our essential team members in Colorado on March 5 and 6. To encourage maximum participation, we will not run the Greeley beef facility on those days and we will provide four hours of pay to any team member who chooses to be vaccinated. This is in addition to the $100 bonus we are providing to any team member who chooses to get vaccinated.
We anticipate high participation rates for our Colorado workforce, which includes team members from our Greeley value-added beef facility, our Greeley transportation business, our Denver value-added facility, and our Greeley beef facility. JBS Occupational Health and Safety staff, in partnership with the National Guard and local health officials, will assist in vaccinating the workforce.
We thank Governor Polis for his commitment to prioritize the vaccination of our essential team members. His leadership and continued support during the pandemic have been invaluable. We have already been able to provide vaccines to our workforce who are 65 years of age or older, and our occupational health staff in Greeley.
