For all the insistence that grocery workers are “heroes,” many still feel disposable

By now you’ve probably seen numerous commercials with swelling music and close-up shots of workers in masks, solemnly reminding us that we’re all in this together and referring to the heroes on the frontlines. Food service and grocery workers have fallen under that umbrella, such that grocery stores like Kroger offered employees $2/hr. extra of “hero pay” for working a high-risk job during a pandemic. However, that