UFCW Statement on Closure of Lexington, NE Tyson Foods Beef Plant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 22, 2025
CONTACT:
Finn Storer
press
UFCW Statement on Closure of Lexington, NE Tyson Foods Beef Plant
LEXINGTON, NEB. – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), which represents 1.2 million essential workers across North America, including thousands of meatpacking workers, released a statement in response to the closure of a non-union Tyson Foods beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska.
Mark Lauritsen, Director of the Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Division and International Vice President at UFCW International, said:
“The closure of the Tyson Foods beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska is a devastating blow to the hundreds of meatpacking workers who every day put in the hard, often unseen work of keeping America fed. While these workers were not members of UFCW, we stand with them. These men and women are the backbone of an industry that strengthens local economies and sustains our nation’s food supply
“Layoffs in towns like Lexington don’t just impact workers inside the plant. Families now face uncertainty and anxiety heading into the holiday season and small businesses will feel the strain as spending drops. When a company as large and as profitable as Tyson shuts down a facility like this, it is the community – not the corporation – that pays the biggest price.
“This decision also raises serious questions about our national priorities. The Administration and Congress should be working to strengthen these workers and their communities by boosting production here at home. Instead, our leaders are flirting with importing beef from Argentina and unleashing tariffs that cut off foreign markets to American beef, pork, and chicken. Meatpacking workers across this country deserve better.”
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The UFCW International is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.2 million workers and their families in grocery, meatpacking, food processing, healthcare, cannabis, retail, and other essential industries. UFCW members serve our communities in all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.