A tentative agreement has been reached between Cargill Meat Solutions and the union representing more than 1,700 employees who’ve been locked out of the Fort Morgan plant since May 20, according to the company.
“We reached a recommended settlement for a new labor agreement during the negotiation discussions. It is subject to ratification by union members, with a vote expected early next week,” said Cargill spokesperson Hli Yang, who declined to share details.
Officials with Teamsters Local 455 have not responded to requests for comment.
Any contract is subject to ratification by union members.
Workers at the meatpacking plant were locked out of the facility May 20, the day after union members voted overwhelmingly to reject Cargill’s last contract offer.
The parking lot is seen empty in a drone view of the Cargill meatpacking plant Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Fort Morgan. The company has locked out its workers and shuttered its plant as Teamsters Local Union 455 fights for a new contract. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
The plant has been idle ever since, and cattle headed to Fort Morgan for processing were redirected to Cargill plants in Kansas, Nebraska and Texas. The company said it covered the added expenses for customers to transport the animals.
Cargill workers in Fort Morgan never took a strike vote, Dean Modecker, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 455, said at the time of the lockout. They had planned to keep working as contract negotiations progressed. He declined to share specifics, but said then the sticking points were mostly economic, from wage increases to improved healthcare coverage, to not being able to go to the bathroom in between breaks.
Workers have been without pay since May 20, but haven’t worked for more than three months. Before the lockout, Cargill sent workers home in late April with pay while contract negotiations continued. The old contract expired in February.
As of July 27, Colorado has received 502 claims for unemployment benefits from Cargill workers, according to a state labor department spokesperson.
The Fort Morgan facility processed about 4,000 head of cattle per day last year. Cargill, which had $154 billion in revenues last year, was named the nation’s largest private company for the fifth consecutive year last year by Forbes. It’s also one of the largest meat processors companies in the U.S., sending beef to grocery stores all over.
This is a developing story and will be updated
