The union that represents thousands of grocery and other retail workers in the St. Louis area — United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 — is asking Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to mandate that customers cover their faces while shopping in retail facilities deemed essential businesses. The union also asks that Parson designate all essential retail workers as temporary first responders, which would give them state-provided protective gear and other benefits. In this episode, host Sarah Fenske talks with the president of the UFCW 655, David Cook, as well as Chris Dean, a local grocery store employee who started the 'Who Are We' movement as a resource and organizing point for essential workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
St. Louis on the Air