Members of the union representing 3,800 workers at the JBS meatpacking facility in Greeley have authorized a strike in response to what the union calls “ongoing illegal conduct” during an eight-month contract negotiation process.

More than 99 percent of union members voted to authorize a so-called unfair labor practices strike, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 said in a press release Wednesday. The union has been engaged in talks with JBS on a new collective bargaining contract since a previous four-year agreement expired last July.

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Since then, the union alleges that the company has violated federal labor laws by refusing to bargain in good faith and engaging in “intimidation and retaliation” against union workers. Leticia Avalos, a JBS employee and UFCW member, in a statement accused the company of creating “dangerous working conditions” by increasing processing speeds while cutting worker hours.

“We have been bargaining for eight months and JBS has prevented us from reaching a contract as a result of their unfair labor practices,” Avalos said. “JBS has left us no alternative but to authorize a strike. Enough is enough.”

JBS, a multinational company based in Brazil, maintains its U.S. corporate headquarters in Greeley, and its sprawling meatpacking facility there is one of the largest in the country.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

“This vote reflects the seriousness of this moment,” said UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova. “JBS can either return to the bargaining table prepared to negotiate in good faith and immediately cease its unfair labor practices, or it can face the consequences of its own decisions.”

The union said Wednesday that “the timing of any strike will be determined at a later date.”