Worker says she was pushed to falsify safety records and saw employees lose limbs at Trump-aligned meatpacking plant

Independent

8 hours ago

A Colorado woman working for the world's largest meatpacking company – and major Trump supporter – claims supervisors pressured her to falsify safety records while workers were regularly losing fingers and limbs due to inadequate training.
Salima Jandali, an aspiring police officer who speaks three languages and has a Bachelor's degree in political science and anthropology from the University of Northern Colorado, says her supervisor regularly denigrated her as a 'stupid Arab' and forced her and others to work without proper protective equipment.
When Jandali, 31, complained to management about what she saw as dangerous shortcomings at the JBS USA beef processing plant in Greeley, roughly 50 miles north of Denver, her locker was vandalized, her Islamic prayer beads were thrown in the trash and she was forced out of her job.
That's according to a federal lawsuit filed by Jandali, which describes her experience at JBS as 'a disturbing example of systematic workplace discrimination and retaliation against… a Muslim woman and Moroccan immigrant who refused to participate in her employer's illegal, dangerous, and exploitative practices.'
Once she left, Jandali 'never wanted to look back,' she told The Independent.
Jandali said she witnessed a newly arrived Burmese immigrant get his arm amputated by a processing-floor machine, saw others lose digits and that accidental stabbings with hooks and knives were commonplace. The company constantly said it was short-staffed, and cut corners on safety protocols to make up for it, according to Jandali. However, she went on, many of the new hires didn't speak English and JBS lacked any translation services to help them understand what they were being told to do.
'They didn't want to complete the classes for new employees, and the retaliation began when I started speaking out,' she said. 'I just want to show the world how corrupt they are, and hopefully this is going to raise awareness so people know the truth about what's going on in there.'
In a statement provided to The Independent, attorney Helen Oh, who is representing Jandali in the case, said, 'No employee should have to choose between their integrity and livelihood.'
A JBS spokesperson did not respond to The Independent 's requests for comment.
Multinational food company JBS, which, via a subsidiary, was the single biggest donor to Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration, 'continually prioritized production over worker safety,' leading to horrific injuries in pursuit of maximum profit, Jandali's complaint alleges.
In 2021, JBS was cited and fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a worker at its Greeley plant got stuck in a conveyor belt and his left arm was severed clean off – which Jandali watched happen. That same year, another worker in Greeley died when he fell into a vat of chemicals due to an improperly installed piece of machinery. In 2023, an employee at a JBS plant in Wisconsin lost two fingers while processing a cattle carcass, and in May, a worker at a JBS facility in Arizona died from blunt-force injuries after being crushed between a forklift and a front-end loader.
On Monday, 20 workers at a JBS plant in Port Arthur, Texas were hospitalized after they were exposed to potentially toxic levels of carbon monoxide and methane gas.
Beyond horrific workplace injuries, JBS has also been accused by employees of myriad other abuses, including human trafficking. In 2017, the Brazilian government levied a $3.2 billion fine against the multinational's parent company in a sprawling bribery case that extended all the way up to then-President Michel Temer. The company settled one previous lawsuit for $5.5 million by Muslim workers at JBS' Greeley plant who said they were discriminated against for their religious beliefs.
Jandali was born in Rabat, Morocco, and moved to the United States when she was a child. Fluent in English, Arabic and French, Jandali began working for JBS in August 2019, at the company's Greeley facility, conducting mandatory safety training for new hires and production employees working on the meat processing floor.
In 2023, Jandali's supervisor began to hurl racial and religious slurs at her 'on a regular basis… often calling her a 'stupid Muslim' or 'stupid Arab,'' according to her complaint, which was filed June 11 in Colorado federal court.
The harassment escalated as the year progressed, the complaint contends, describing 'repeated degradation and intimidation of Ms. Jandali by throwing away [her]... work boots and hard hat.'
'On at least 25 occasions, Ms. Jandali arrived [at] work to find her safety equipment strewn about, missing, or in the trash,' the complaint goes on.
'Without proper equipment, Ms. Jandali was prohibited from taking new hires to the processing floor pursuant to safety protocols,' the complaint states.
Federal law requires production employees to complete 100 percent of their safety training prior to working on the processing floor, the complaint explains, Yet, it says, throughout Jandali's time at JBS, 'supervisors routinely put production employees to work on the floor when they had not completed all required safety training.'
'Many production employees were non-English speakers who needed interpreters to understand and complete the trainings,' the complaint states. 'While Ms. Jandali could translate and interpret for French and Arabic-speaking employees on her shift, this was highly insufficient to address the language needs for trainings across shifts.'
Jandali raised the issue repeatedly, telling higher-ups that the practice was putting people in danger, the complaint continues. In response, Jandali was told that any problems were her fault, and that if she couldn't get everyone trained adequately, 'then this was not the job for her,' according to the complaint.
The company's demands became more aggressive over time, and the pressure on Jandali intensified, the complaint alleges. In May 2024, she was instructed to falsify training records for employees who had not attended their assigned sessions, the complaint maintains.
'Ms. Jandali objected and explained that production employees were suffering serious injuries, including losing limbs, and safety protocols needed to be followed,' the complaint states, adding that '[h]er concerns were completely ignored.'
Days later, Jandali reported the situation to upper-level managers, according to the complaint. Soon, it says, Jandali began to experience fierce blowback over her ongoing concerns.
'On May 28, 2024, Ms. Jandali arrived at work to find her workplace locker damaged, with the corner bent and unable to close properly,' the complaint alleges. 'She found her Tasbih (Islamic prayer beads) in the trash, along with her other personal belongings. Ms. Jandali was horrified, deeply hurt, and feared for her safety.'
Jandali then went to HR to file a formal grievance but, despite their promises, the complaint claims she 'never received any follow up or resolution.'
The conditions at JBS had been getting progressively worse for Jandali in other ways, as well. When her father needed heart surgery, Jandali requested family leave to help him, and was approved, the complaint states. However, while she was out, HR 'falsely' informed her that her paperwork had never been received and terminated her employment, it says. Following a grievance Jandali filed with the union, which included a paper trail proving her side of the story, she was reinstated, according to the complaint.
Still, upon returning to work, Jandali found herself locked out of her company email and unable to access her online work drive, training materials and classrooms, the complaint states. Nearly six weeks later, the complaint says Jandali finally regained access to her email account, but found that 'all of her prior emails with years of accumulated training information [had been] deleted.'
In June 2024, Jandali requested a three-month medical leave to deal with 'worsening depression, anxiety and [post-traumatic stress disorder] caused by JBS's retaliation and harassment,' the complaint states. Three weeks later, it says she got a call from HR demanding she return to work in seven days or else she would be fired. Jandali appealed, and state regulators forced JBS to keep her on the payroll.
However, when she finally got back, the situation she continued to endure, on top of 'months of unaddressed harassment, retaliation and pressure to engage in illegal conduct,' was too much to take, the complaint states.
On September 9, 2024, facing the exact same issues as before, Jandali resigned.
Beyond her depression, anxiety and PTSD, Jandali's complaint says her time at JBS caused 'debilitating physical symptoms including insomnia, frequent nightmares, inability to concentrate and extreme fatigue,' the complaint states. 'These conditions have transformed her from a vibrant, active and outgoing person into someone who struggles with basic daily functioning and experiences profound emotional numbness.'
Jandali is now seeking economic damages, including front pay and back pay, compensatory damages for emotional pain, suffering and mental anguish, as well as punitive damages, plus interest, attorneys' fees and court costs.