Notice reminds workers wishing to return to work that they must resign their union memberships to avoid potentially ruinous strike fines
Greeley, CO (March 18, 2026) – Today, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation issued a special legal notice for workers subject to United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union bosses’ strike order against meatpacking company JBS. News reports indicate the strike order covers nearly 4,000 employees at JBS’ facility in Greeley, Colorado.
The legal notice informs these workers of rights that union officials often do not want them to know. First and foremost, JBS employees who want to keep working to support their families should resign their union memberships before returning to work to avoid union fines and internal discipline.
“The situation presents serious concerns for JBS employees who believe there is much to lose from a union-ordered strike,” the legal notice reads. “That is why workers confronted with strike demands frequently contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation to learn how they can avoid fines and other union discipline for continuing to work to support themselves and their families.”
The legal notice alerts workers to the fact that UFCW Local 7 officials are currently facing a federal prosecution for imposing illegal discipline on King Soopers employees in connection with a 2025 strike action against the supermarket chain. “JBS employees should read this notice carefully and consider contacting Foundation staff attorneys for assistance to ensure UFCW officials cannot impose any fines against them,” the notice says.
The notice is available at: https://www.nrtw.org/jbs/.
A Spanish version of the notice can be found here: https://www.nrtw.org/es/jbs/.
Foundation: Resign Union Membership Before Returning to Work to Avoid Fines and Discipline
Most importantly, the notice informs meatpacking plant employees who want to keep working that the safest way to avoid strike fines by union bosses is to resign their union memberships before returning to work. “[I]f an employee is not a member of a union, union officials have no power to fine or discipline him or her during a strike.,” the notice says. “By resigning their membership, employees can rebuff union strike demands and return to work.”
The Foundation’s special legal notice provides workers sample union resignation letters, as well as information on how to exercise their right under the CWA v. Beck Supreme Court decision to opt out of paying dues for union politics, if union officials succeed in their push to impose a forced-dues contract. “Because Colorado lacks Right to Work protections, workers who have abstained from union membership may be required to pay partial union dues after a new contract is finalized,” the notice says. “However, union nonmembers have a right…to refuse to pay for union political expenses and other expenses not related to collective bargaining and contract administration.”
The notice also gives workers information on the process to submit a “decertification petition,” in which employees request a workplace election to remove the union.
“While many JBS employees may already be questioning whether UFCW Local 7 officials really have their best interests in mind by calling this strike, the fact that these very union bosses are currently being prosecuted for illegal strike discipline is a reminder that workers should be vigilant to protect their legal rights,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “JBS workers should know that they have the right to resign their union memberships and return to work to support their families, no matter what UFCW chiefs might tell them.”
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.
