On Sept.17, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that his office will work with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to mobilize state funds to support the acquisition and operation of the former Tyson Foods plant in Joslin. This announcement came on the heels of workers and community members mobilizing mass attendance at a subsequent city council meeting in East Moline, a city less than 20 minutes from Joslin where a majority of the former employees live.

Pritzker’s announcement is a massive victory for the hundreds of workers and community members who have organized for more than a month now to demand Pritzker keep the plant open and keep jobs in the Midwest. Still, the State, as well as local politicians in the Quad Cities, can do more than just support individual millionaires and billionaires in re-opening the plant. Pritzker has the power to exercise eminent domain to take over the plant and return workers’ jobs under public ownership.

Yet cattle ranchers are forced to sell at rock bottom prices because of consolidation of ownership of processing plants, such as the one in the article.

The big 4 meat packing corps: Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef control up to 85% of the U.S. beef market, and dictate what they pay to ranchers because there is no local competition to pay for the cattle.

At the same time, they jack up the prices when they sell to markets, because again, there's consolidation and little competition.