Haitians living in the United States were lured to Greeley, Colorado, to work for JBS meat-packing plant during the COVID-19 pandemic; now they have filed a class-action lawsuit alleging abuse.
The lawsuits cites injuries, discrimination and inhospitable living conditions.
Sixty were put into one house; at the Rainbow Motel up to 11 workers were put into a room with one bed, no bathroom or kitchen. One worker said in the lawsuit that it felt like being in jail. At its peak, the 17-room motel housed more than 100 Haitians, according to the lawsuit.
JBS normally has 4,000 workers at the Greeley plant, but some refused to work after COVID-19 infection spread so the company was eager to fiind willing workers. It hooked up with a recruiter who used Tik Tok to advertise to Haitians living in the United States.
JBS charged some workers weekly fees for housing and tacked on a charge for trips to the plant. Without money or transportation, the refugees had to rely on the recruiter for trips to the grocery store or restaurants. One worker said he didn’t eat for two days.
As new recruits steadily arrived, JBS needed to make room at the motel. So the company moved dozens of Haitians to a five-bedroom house nearby, charging them $70 a week. As many as 60 people were living at the house during its height, the complaint alleges. Sometimes there was no electricity or water.
During their first week of work, JBS gave the recruits a four-day orientation focused on safety and work policies. But the training sessions were only in English and Spanish, according to the lawsuit. French or Creole are the main language for many of the Haitians.
Training supervisors then falsified records on behalf of the new workers to ensure they could pass quickly and begin work as soon as possible, an accusation reported by The Denver Post and made in a separate lawsuit against JBS earlier this year.
Work at the plant, meanwhile, was exceptionally dangerous. Employees endured lacerations, amputations, severe burns and musculoskeletal injuries, the complaint alleges.
JBS also employs a number of newcomers to Canada at the beef-packing plant it runs in Alberta. It and Cargill are Canada’s dominant beef packers.
