Member Story: “We’re all Fighting the Same Fight”
Nate Mann works in the sanitation department at JBS in Greeley, Colo., one of the largest meatpacking plants in the country. Earlier this year, Nate went on strike with 3,800 of his coworkers for three weeks. Read Nate’s reflections on attending his first Labor Notes Conference with EW4D.
Nate Mann speaks on a panel at the 2026 Labor Notes Conference.
In March 2026, I went on strike at JBS. At that time, I had no idea history was being made. Honestly, I barely knew what a union truly was, and I had never heard of groups like Labor Notes.
It was during that strike that fate brought Essential Workers for Democracy and me together. I learned that the union wasn’t just about wages, benefits, or contracts. I saw that the whole nation was watching our strike while we made history. I was not “just a worker at JBS,” I had brothers and sisters everywhere rooting for me. EW4D had leaflets with pictures of grocery store workers from all across the country showing their solidarity with our strike at JBS. Little did I know, this was only the beginning.
A few weeks after the strike, I was asked if I wanted to go to the Labor Notes Conference in Chicago. I had no idea what it was, who would be there, or what it would be like. But something inside me just told me to say yes.
I’m from Greeley, Colorado. The biggest city I’d ever been to was Denver. Stepping off the plane in Chicago, I had a feeling something big in my life was about to happen. It wasn’t just something big, it was something much bigger than I could have ever imagined.
As soon as I walked in, my jaw dropped. I’d never seen so many different people from so many different places, all united by the same common goal. Everyone at Labor Notes was either a worker who helped keep America running, or someone who helped those workers.
I was there for two reasons. First, to better understand our union, and the labor movement as a whole.
Second, to speak on a panel about coordinated bargaining in the grocery and meatpacking industries, where I’d share my experience from the JBS strike and give my perspective on how life really was at the plant.
Naturally, I felt completely out of place. I’d never done anything like that before.
Speaking on the panel will forever be a fond memory. Not only was I given the opportunity to speak on behalf of the thousands of coworkers I stood beside on the picket line, but I was also given the opportunity to tell our story. It was the first time I truly felt like my voice mattered.
On a personal note, it was my first time public speaking. I realized that my voice could communicate something that others’ couldn’t. Being given the opportunity to do something like that was a blessing in itself. Labor Notes showed me that my voice as a worker does matter.
With the panel behind me, I was finally able to dive headfirst into everything Labor Notes had to offer. It was amazing. We danced, sang, shared great food, and most importantly, we shared our stories. I met workers from every corner of the country whose lives looked completely different from mine, yet somehow felt exactly the same. We worked different jobs, belonged to different unions, and came from different backgrounds, but at the end of the day we all had one thing in common.
We’re workers. We all trade our time, our bodies, and our minds to keep this country running.
We all sacrifice for our jobs, and we all want to go home safe, provide for our families, and be treated with the dignity and respect every worker deserves.
That was one of the biggest lessons Labor Notes taught me, that no matter where we come from or what industry we work in, we’re all fighting the same fight.
Since Labor Notes, something inside me has changed. The activist in me has awakened.
Today, I’m a proud dues-paying member of Essential Workers for Democracy. I’m learning the ins and outs of organizing, and doing everything I can to become a better advocate for working people especially within the UFCW.
None of that would have happened without Labor Notes. Labor Notes was more than just a convention to me. It was a life changing experience, one of the biggest eye opening events of my young adult life.
