JBS workers accuse company, recruiter of facilitating overcrowded living

UFCW Local 7, the union that represents workers inside the JBS plant in Greeley, has accused the company of facilitating an unsafe recruiting environment. The union, and some of its members, have accused the company of recruiting legal immigrants to their Greeley plant just to place them in unsafe housing situations.

Two Haitian immigrant employees told CBS News Colorado they were brought to Colorado based off a recruiting video posted on TikTok. They said they reached out to the recruiter who promised stability when they arrived in the United States.

Both employees requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation from JBS.

"When I got here I didn't like the way they received us. The conditions were really bad," one man said. "What they told me on the phone was when I got here I was going to have somewhere to sleep and somewhere to stay, and someone to support me economically before I start working."

However, the men allege that the recruiter made them pay hundreds of dollars each for a ride from the airport to Greeley.

Both men said they were dropped off at a motel to stay in. But, when they went to their assigned rooms, they learned they were being housed with many other employees from other countries.

"There were too many people inside the room," one man said. "There were six people for the two beds."

"There were seven or eight people in the room, there was only one bed," the other man said.

One of the men said they eventually were able to find housing away from the motel through recruiters.

"It was a house with five bedrooms with around 40 people inside the house. There was only one kitchen and two bathrooms for 40 people," the man said.

And, while their applications processed, the men said they didn't have a resource to money or stable access to food.

"I remember I had to stay three days hungry," one man said.

In a statement issued to CBS News Colorado, JBS said the recruiter mentioned by the men was never employed by the company.

"We also notified local authorities and will cooperate with any resulting investigation," the statement read.

"JBS takes the safety and welfare of all our team members seriously. Since being made aware of this situation, we have put new HR leaders in place at the facility and added new recruitment training programs to ensure our teams follow JBS' strict hiring compliance policies. We are also working with the UFCW International to educate prospective and current team members about our hiring policies enterprise wide."

"JBS does not charge team members or applicants for any pre-employment services, including transportation, application, pre-hire medical requirements, or housing, nor do we require them to live in any specific location. We want all of our employees to have access to safe housing and the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their families."

"Ask JBS, who is supposed to get better living conditions, us or the cows we are killing?" one man said.

CBS News Colorado reached out to JBS seeking interview for this report but has not heard back.