Cargill lockout ends after contract ratification at Colorado beef plant

Workers at a major Cargill beef plant in Fort Morgan, Colorado, voted overwhelmingly on Monday, August 17, 2026, to ratify a new five-year contract, ending a three-month lockout that idled over 1,700 employees. The agreement, which includes a total wage increase of $2.15 an hour over the contract's term, allows for a phased return to work starting around August 24, with slaughtering operations expected to resume the week of September 7.

The lockout, which began on May 20, followed months of stalled negotiations and a previous contract rejection by workers on August 3. Cargill had initially stopped processing cattle at the facility on April 23 in anticipation of a strike, diverting animals to other plants in Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas. The Fort Morgan plant, which historically employed about 2,000 people and processed roughly 4,000 cattle per day, has been a key economic driver for the region.

The new contract was overwhelmingly rejected earlier this month, with workers voting it down by a narrow 25-vote margin. Key points of contention included the proposed wage increases, which some union members said amounted to insufficient yearly raises, and provisions regarding guaranteed...