JBS Foods announced earlier last month that it would be closing their Souderton beef processing plant in August, putting 1,500 to 1,700 workers out of a job.
Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie has called on federal leaders like Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick to take action and prevent the plant’s closure. Harvie, a Democrat and Bucks County Commissioner, is set to run against Fitzpatrick in the upcoming November midterm elections.
The JBS facility in Souderton is one of the largest employers in Montgomery County. Its closure would not only affect its workers but the families for which those workers provide a livelihood.
JBS cited the closure as “part of a broader strategy focused on growth, modernization and long-term competitiveness in the United States.”
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Other indicators pointed to the rising beef prices caused by Trump’s tariffs on Australia, Brazil and New Zealand as a reason for the closure.
“Congressman Fitzpatrick voted seven times for Trump’s disastrous economic tariffs that have spiked the cost of beef to record highs,” Harvie said.
For those in union positions, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1776 is the Souderton plant workers’ union. The union is now actively trying to find a new buyer for the facility to prevent its permanent closure.
“The announced closure of the JBS facility in Souderton is a devastating blow for the nearly 1,500 workers and families who depend on these jobs. I stand with these workers and local labor, and I call on Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick to take immediate action to protect these jobs and this community,” Harvie said.
