UFCW 655’s David Cook honored as Labor Advocate of the Year

By TIM ROWDEN
Managing Editor

Arnold, MO – UFCW Local 655 President David Cook was honored as Labor Advocate of the Year at the Jefferson County Democrats’ Central Committee Awards Dinner on March 24.

The Jefferson County Democratic Central Committee also honored former Senator William McKenna with a Lifetime Service to Missouri award and former Representative Jo Ann Karll with a Lifetime Service to Jefferson County award.

Cook’s former second-in-command, recently retired Secretary-Treasurer Garry Torpea, presented the award with a roasting recounting of some of Cook’s many accomplishments, including:

• Leading the fight to defeat so-called “right-to-work (for less)” in Missouri, which voters soundly rejected in 2018.
• Introducing the “Union Proud” button proudly worn by UFCW Local 655 partners here and across the country.
• And leading Local 655 as the first local union to march in the St. Louis Pride parade.

ACCOLADES FOR HIS STAFF
“When you receive awards like this, it’s not because of the job that you’ve done, it’s because of the people that have done a job for you,” Cook said

“When Garry Torpea talked about the fight for RTW and my role in that, understand, I was one of thousands of individuals that that never would have happened without them. I’m not here tonight without my staff. I have the best staff a Labor advocate could ever have. I give them accolades, I give them thanks and praise, and they do the work on the ground. Yes, I’m there to support them, yes, I’m there to help them, but trust me, if you ever get to the top of the chain, you get there because of the people who have put you there.

“To my team that have put me here, I can never thank you enough for giving me the opportunity to lead such an unbelievable organization,” Cook said. “I am humbled every day.