As Denver voters consider Initiated Ordinance 309 to ban slaughterhouses, it’s crucial to understand the opportunity it presents for workers at the Denver lamb slaughterhouse owned by Superior Farms. Beyond many other benefits, this measure would open doors to safer, more sustainable, and more rewarding careers in the city’s rapidly growing green economy.
How Will Denver’s Slaughterhouse Ban Help Workers Find Better Job Opportunities?
If passed in 2024, the Denver Initiated Ordinance 309 will take effect on January 1, 2026, providing ample time for a smooth transition for Superior Farms slaughterhouse to close or relocate out of Denver city limits. The ballot text includes a vital provision for affected workers:
“The City shall prioritize any resident whose employment is affected by this article in any workforce training or employment assistance programs operated by the City, including those provisioned by the Climate Protection Fund.”
This commitment ensures that if any slaughterhouse employees experience unemployment due to the measure, they will have priority access to employment assistance and workforce training opportunities in green industries. Additionally, employees in Colorado who lose their job due to a company shutdown, qualify for and have the right to receive unemployment benefits, including undocumented workers.
The Climate Protection Fund and Denver’s Green Jobs Program
The Climate Protection Fund, established by Denver voters via ballot measure in 2020, plays a crucial role in this transition. Raising $40,000,000 annually, the Climate Protection Fund is a powerhouse for creating green jobs and supporting reemployment training in sustainable industries.
After voters passed the Climate Protection Fund, Denver’s Green Jobs Program was created to expand the number of green jobs in the city, with a focus on supporting people of color and workers affected by green transitions in industries such as the slaughterhouse sector.
What is a Green Job?
According to the City of Denver’s Green Jobs Program, a green job is one that:
- Supports clean energy, electric vehicle technology and infrastructure, and natural resource management
- Provides livable wages and benefits
- Allow workers to build skills and competitiveness in the workforce
- Provide opportunities for advancement
For workers affected by the Denver slaughterhouse ban, this means Denver’s Green Jobs program will provide access to training and job opportunities in fields such as:
- Solar and renewable energy installation
- Green building and home electrification
- Electric vehicle technology and infrastructure
- Natural resource management and conservation
- Green infrastructure development
Denver’s green workforce training and assistance program provides workers with access to new skills, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships, training and support services, and paths to quality green jobs with fair wages and benefits.
Meet the Grant Recipients of Denver’s Green Jobs Program
Denver boasts an impressive array of local organizations ready to support employees displaced by the Denver slaughterhouse ban in their career transitions. Here are just a few of the dozens of organizations participating in Denver’s workforce training and employment assistance program.
- SolarCorps: Offers paid training programs in the solar industry, including an 11-month fellowship followed by a 12-month internship. These programs provide career coaching, job search support, and pathways to highly paid positions in various solar industry roles.
- Grid Alternatives: Runs the SolarCorps Fellowship and Solar Accelerator Internship, with paid training and multiple career pathways in the booming solar industry.
- The Park People: Operates TreeForce, an urban forestry pre-apprenticeship program that offers paid training and job placement in the growing field of urban forest management.
- WORKNOW: Provides career coaching and job training in the green construction industry, including clean energy and green building sectors.
- Blue Sky Training: Offers Building Performance Institute’s (BPI) Infiltration and Duct Leakage (IDL) certification that can lead to immediate job opportunities in the growing green HVAC industry.
- Groundwork Denver: Offers the Green Infrastructure Training (GRIT) program, a six- to eight-week paid training that prepares participants for jobs in green infrastructure. The program includes support for job applications and retention, as well as opportunities to earn important certifications like OSHA-10 and HAZWOPER 40-Hour.
As of 2024, the Climate Protection Fund has already invested nearly $850,000 in over 18 innovative organizations focused on green workforce development. This investment is creating a robust ecosystem of green jobs that Denver slaughterhouse workers can transition into, with better working conditions, pay, and long-term career prospects.
For those needing more assistance, Brave New Life Project is a local Denver organization that provides holistic employment support, including translation assistance, resume-building, and connections to additional resources like housing assistance to those employed by slaughterhouses and factory farms.
How Many People Work at the Superior Farms Slaughterhouse?
Currently, the 160 employees working at Superior Farms slaughterhouse face hazardous conditions including slippery floors, sharp tools, and high-speed production lines. OSHA reports confirm these dangers, citing serious injuries at the Denver slaughterhouse. Beyond physical risks, workers often endure significant mental health impacts. Notably, Denver’s slaughterhouse was recently sued for racial and religious discrimination against their Muslim employees, including denying Muslim workers breaks to pray or even use the bathroom. Transitioning workers out of these jobs is not just about career change, but about improving overall quality of life and workplace safety.
The transition to green industries offers the potential for safer working environments, a better work-life balance, more opportunities for career growth and skill development, and a better work culture for former slaughterhouse workers in Denver.
Denver’s Slaughterhouse Ban: A Vote for a Brighter Future
Initiated Ordinance 309 represents more than just a ban on the operation of industrial slaughterhouses in Denver. It’s a gateway to new opportunities for Denver slaughterhouse workers to transition into safer, more sustainable, and more rewarding jobs. While entry-level employees at Superior Farms slaughterhouse are only paid less than $2 more per hour than Denver’s $18.29 minimum wage, the average pay rate for a solar energy construction worker in Denver is $26 per hour. With Denver’s booming green economy and ever-increasing demand for renewable energy and EV infrastructure, Denver slaughterhouse workers have a clear path to a new career and a brighter future.
Moreover, the Chamber of Commerce reports that we’re currently experiencing a ‘nationwide worker shortage’ with Colorado’s current job market offering 100 jobs for every 52 workers. This favorable job market ensures that workers transitioning from the slaughterhouse industry will have a wide array of options to choose from, not just limited to green jobs.
Will Initiated Ordinance 309 Impact Undocumented Slaughterhouse Workers?
Although we haven’t confirmed whether or not Superior Farms currently has undocumented workers on payroll, we do know that the slaughterhouse industry is known to hire refugees and immigrants due to these jobs being dangerous and undesirable. For any undocumented slaughterhouse workers who may be affected by this transition, the Benefit Recovery Fund provides direct cash payments to pay for housing, food, clothing, and shelter. This program ensures that any workers in Denver, who have contributed to the state’s economy, are not left without support when they lose their jobs through no fault of their own.
How Will Voting YES on Initiated Ordinance 309 Impact Slaughterhouse Workers and the Local Economy in Denver?
- The slaughterhouse ban will help workers transition to safer, more sustainable jobs
- The provision to prioritize affected slaughterhouse workers supports the growth of green industries in Denver
- This measure will contribute to the city’s climate action goals by transitioning more of our labor force towards the renewable energy sector
- The slaughterhouse ban ensures that no worker is left behind in our evolving economy
Denver, it’s time to leave industrial slaughterhouses behind and create a better future for Denver’s slaughterhouse workers and residents of the Globeville neighborhood where Superior Farms is located. Together, we can create a more sustainable Denver while dismantling the systemic barriers that have historically trapped marginalized communities in dangerous, low-wage jobs. Initiated Ordinance 309 opens doors to exciting, high-growth opportunities, offering a path to economic justice for those long overlooked by our city’s prosperity.
