GREELEY, Colo. (KDVR) — Thousands of employees have no idea what’s in store for their jobs next week at the JBS meat production plant in Greeley.
A text went out to employees Sunday evening that said JBS is cancelling COVID-19 testing for employees.
A previous memo obtained by the Problem Solvers said that employees would need to get tested before returning to work. Last week, the company’s CEO told the Problem Solvers they were investing more than $1 million on COVID-19 testing kits for their team members.
This comes after representatives from UFCW Local7, the union that represents roughly half the work force of the 6,000 employees, said that more than 50 workers have tested positive, and at least two people have died from COVID-19.
“This is a matter of public safety and also the lives of our workers,” said UFCW Local7 President Kim Cordova. “We’ve only seen communication on Facebook.”
According to the company’s Facebook page, they cancelled Sunday testing for employees.
“We have no idea what they’re doing and that’s just causing a lot of fear and uncertainty for those members who actually know about the test,” Cordova said.
Employees won’t have to show up for work Monday, since it’s a holiday, but beyond that they’re still left wondering what’s next, calling the communication from JBS “inconsistent” and “lacking.”