Beef and Pork Wage Settlement: $202.8M Payouts and Deadlines

If you worked a non-managerial job at a U.S. beef or pork processing plant operated by companies like Tyson, JBS, Cargill, Hormel, or Seaboard, you may be eligible for a payment from the $202.8 million beef and pork wages settlement. Claims and information updates are handled at BeefPorkWages.com, and the deadline to submit a Participation Form or update your information is March 26, 2027.1Hagens Berman. Claims Deadline Extended in $202.8M Red Meat Processing Wage Fixing Class Action Lawsuit

The money comes from eighteen meatpacking companies that agreed to settle antitrust claims in Brown v. JBS USA Food Company, a class action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. Workers accused the companies of coordinating to hold wages down at roughly 140 red meat plants across the continental United States.2Cohen Milstein. Brown v. JBS USA Food Company, Et Al.

Who Qualifies for a Payment

The settlement class covers non-managerial workers employed at beef or pork processing plants in the continental United States operated by any of the defendant companies. For the main settlement class, the covered period runs from January 1, 2014, through February 27, 2024.3ClassAction.org. Preliminary Approval Order – Perdue, Seaboard, and WMS

Both hourly and salaried employees are included. If you slaughtered, processed, cut, or packaged meat, repaired machines at these plants, or worked as a line supervisor, you fall within the class.3ClassAction.org. Preliminary Approval Order – Perdue, Seaboard, and WMS

Several categories of employees are excluded:

  • Plant managers
  • Human resources staff
  • Clerical employees
  • Guards
  • Salespeople
  • Officers and directors of the defendant companies

The settling companies include Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill and Cargill Meat Solutions, National Beef Packing, Hormel Foods, Rochelle Foods, Quality Pork Processors, Seaboard Foods, American Foods Group, Agri Beef Co., Washington Beef, Perdue Farms, Indiana Packers, and Greater Omaha Packing. Triumph Foods settled without a monetary payment. If you worked at a plant operated by any of these companies during the class period, you are likely covered.4ClassAction.org. Beef Pork Settlement Notice

Smithfield Foods and Smithfield Packaged Meats have not settled, and litigation against them continues. This $202.8 million settlement does not resolve claims against Smithfield.5Hagens Berman. Red Meat Processing Wage Fixing Antitrust

How to File a Claim

The settlement is administered by A.B. Data, Ltd. through BeefPorkWages.com. What you do depends on the notice you received.6Cohen Milstein. Announce $202.7 Million in Settlements for Beef and Pork Processing Plant Workers

If you received a notice that lists a compensation amount, you don’t need to file anything to get paid. Go to the settlement website and confirm your contact and employment information is current so your check reaches you.

If you received a notice saying your earnings data is missing, use the “Update Your Information” tool at BeefPorkWages.com to supply the missing details. Without that information, the administrator can’t calculate your share.

If you did not receive any notice but believe you qualify, you have to submit a Participation Form. The form is available online at BeefPorkWages.com or by mail from the settlement administrator.

Deadlines to Know

  • September 29, 2026: Deadline to opt out of the settlement or file an objection.
  • November 13, 2026, 9 a.m.: Final approval hearing before the court.
  • March 26, 2027: Extended deadline to submit a Participation Form or update missing information.

Payments cannot be issued until after final approval, and the schedule can shift if the hearing is rescheduled or appeals are filed.1Hagens Berman. Claims Deadline Extended in $202.8M Red Meat Processing Wage Fixing Class Action Lawsuit

How Much You Might Receive

Individual payment amounts have not been publicly announced. The settlement fund will first be reduced by attorneys’ fees (up to roughly $67.6 million, or one-third of the total), litigation costs (up to $6 million), notice and administration expenses (up to $4 million), and service awards for the named class representatives (up to $30,000 each). What remains is distributed proportionally among eligible class members.4ClassAction.org. Beef Pork Settlement Notice

Your share depends on two things: how long you worked at a defendant’s plant during the class period, and how much you earned there. Longer tenure and higher covered earnings mean a larger payment.

Payments are treated as wages for tax purposes. Payroll taxes will be withheld from your check, and the settlement administrator may issue a W-2.4ClassAction.org. Beef Pork Settlement Notice

Who Contributed to the $202.8 Million

The settling defendants and their contributions:4ClassAction.org. Beef Pork Settlement Notice

  • Tyson Foods — $72.5 million
  • JBS USA Food Company — $55 million
  • Cargill and Cargill Meat Solutions — $29.75 million
  • National Beef Packing Company — $14.2 million
  • Hormel Foods, Rochelle Foods, and Quality Pork Processors — $13.5 million
  • Seaboard Foods — $10 million
  • American Foods Group — $4 million
  • Agri Beef Co. and Washington Beef — $1.4 million
  • Perdue Farms — $1.25 million
  • Indiana Packers Corporation — $1.1 million
  • Greater Omaha Packing Co. — $100,000

Three additional defendants settled without paying money into the fund. Agri Stats, Inc. agreed to cooperate with the plaintiffs and change practices aimed at preventing future wage-fixing. Triumph Foods and Webber, Meng, Sahl & Company (WMS) also agreed to provide cooperation.4ClassAction.org. Beef Pork Settlement Notice

What the Lawsuit Alleged

The complaint accused the defendants of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by agreeing to keep worker pay artificially low. Together, the companies produce about 80 percent of the red meat sold to American consumers, and the alleged conduct reached both hourly and salaried employees at their slaughterhouses and processing plants.2Cohen Milstein. Brown v. JBS USA Food Company, Et Al.

Plaintiffs described several coordinated practices. Executives allegedly gathered at closed meetings called “Red Meat Industry Compensation Meetings” to discuss pay and benefits. The companies also allegedly swapped nonpublic compensation data through two intermediaries, Agri Stats and WMS, giving each processor a detailed view of what its competitors paid. Some defendants were also accused of entering “no poach” agreements that limited recruiting between plants.2Cohen Milstein. Brown v. JBS USA Food Company, Et Al.

Settling defendants have not admitted liability. The settlements resolve the claims without a finding of wrongdoing.

Getting Help With Your Claim

You can reach the settlement administrator through any of the following:6Cohen Milstein. Announce $202.7 Million in Settlements for Beef and Pork Processing Plant Workers

  • Phone: 1-877-411-4775
  • Email: info@BeefPorkWages.com
  • Mail: Beef Pork Wages Settlement, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 173052, Milwaukee, WI 53217
  • Website: BeefPorkWages.com

If you know former coworkers who worked at one of the defendant plants between 2014 and 2024, pass the information along. Workers who never received a notice have to submit a Participation Form, and the deadline runs to March 26, 2027.