JBS workers' union to ask Colorado lawmakers to protect access to bathroom breaks
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, the union that represents the JBS workers in Greeley, is lobbying at Colorado's State Capitol to further protect its members. According to Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7, the union is asking state lawmakers to pass a law that would require companies to allow employees to have reasonable bathroom breaks without fear of punitive measures.
The union, which recently completed its first strike in more than 40 years, says it won its negotiations with JBS. The union tells CBS News Colorado it was able to secure new equipment for employees while also assuring they wouldn't be held financially responsible for faulty protective gear.
However, the union said it's now asking state lawmakers to create a bill that would prevent them from having to negotiate access to bathroom breaks in the future. The bill would require employers of more than 500 people in the livestock slaughter industry to provide reasonable access to restrooms.
"(JBS) should be ashamed of themselves that we have to introduce legislation to enforce OSHA regulations. But also, to make sure they take care of their employees that do this important work," Cordova said.
JBS, via written statement, said they have had longstanding policies that allow employees to have reasonable access to breaks for situations like needing to use the restroom.
"We have to make sure we have some government intervention with this, in terms of legislation that would have some penalties against their bad behavior," Cordova said.
"This proposed legislation aligns with our existing company policies. We provide PPE to all team members at no cost to them. Our policy is—and has long been—that team members are only responsible for paying for personal protective equipment if the equipment is lost or maliciously damaged. When PPE wears out through normal use, the company replaces it at no cost to our team members," a spokesperson for JBS wrote. "No team member should ever be denied reasonable access to the restroom. We have a long-standing process designed to ensure team members can leave the line for approved and necessary reasons, including using the restroom, without disrupting operations."
JBS employs more than 270,000 people around the world — 3,800 of whom are based in Greeley, where JBS USA is headquartered. It pays $3.1 billion for livestock each year, making it the world's largest meat supplier, and CBS News reported that it's the top beef producer and the second-biggest producer of pork and poultry in the U.S.
