# How Should Essential Workers Empower Themselves in the Workplace?

Published 2020-04-17 · Updated 2026-07-23 · Retail on MarketScale
Canonical: https://www.marketscale.com/industries/retail/how-to-give-back-to-essential-workers

> Essential workers are on the front lines of the pandemic; they’re also the least protected and, often, the lowest paid. A lack of PPE, hazard pay, and paid sick leave for workers in vulnerable sectors, like grocery store, fast food, sanitation, and some other sects of retail, is putting the pressure on employers to act,…

Essential workers are on the front lines of the pandemic; they’re also the least protected and, often, the lowest paid. A lack of PPE, hazard pay, and paid sick leave for workers in vulnerable sectors, like grocery store, fast food, sanitation, and some other sects of retail, is putting the pressure on employers to act, and the pressure on workers to demand protections.

On this videostream, [Voice of B2B Daniel Litwin](https://marketscale.com/industries/contributors/daniel-litwin/) spoke with [Shaun Richman](https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-richman-4905903/), program director for [SUNY Empire State College’s School of Labor Studies](https://www.esc.edu/). A contributor for [In These Times](https://inthesetimes.com/) and [The American Prospect](https://prospect.org/), Shaun previously spent a decade and a half as a union organizer and representative, and brings his experience to give a worker-focused perspective on…

Why some businesses are providing protections for workers while others aren’t

The history of our “broken” labor relations system and the atomization of the workplace

How a lack of union representation in essential sectors creates an imbalance tilted against workers

What the long term strategy is for organizing workers in vulnerable sectors

What small and large businesses can do now to protect their essential workers

For the latest thought leadership, news and event coverage across B2B, be sure to check out our [industry pages](https://marketscale.com/industries).

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