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United Food & Commercial Workers Local 655
United Food & Commercial Workers Local 655 represents roughly 10,000 members employed at grocery chains, meatpacking plants, and food-processing facilities...
United Food & Commercial Workers Local 655
United Food & Commercial Workers Local 655 represents roughly 10,000 members employed at grocery chains, meatpacking plants, and food-processing facilities throughout eastern Missouri. The union operates from its headquarters on Weidman Road in Ballwin, with its welfare fund administered separately from a Manchester, Missouri office. President David A. Cook and Secretary-Treasurer Robert Spence oversee the organization's labor and benefits operations, including the pension assets that back member retirements. The pension fund's investment strategy concentrates on private equity buyout commitments. While specific fund relationships, portfolio holdings, and total asset figures remain undisclosed in public filings, the strategy tag indicates a deliberate allocation to control-oriented private market vehicles. Union pension funds of this profile typically access buyout exposure through commitments to middle-market and large-cap general partners, often with a preference for funds that incorporate responsible contractor policies or neutral labor stances. The fund's geographic base in greater St. Louis positions it within a network of Midwestern institutional allocators. Beyond its investment function, UFCW Local 655 maintains active coalition memberships that shape its institutional posture. The union participates in Missouri Jobs With Justice and We Are Missouri, a coalition formed to oppose right-to-work legislation. Its leadership also founded Preserve Middle Class America, an advocacy group focused on economic policy. The union runs a Leukemia and Lymphoma Fund for charitable giving and a Political Action Fund for electoral engagement, while partnering with the United Way of Greater St. Louis on member-assistance programs. The fund's structural differentiator lies in its embeddedness within a live operating union. Unlike a standalone pension administrator, UFCW Local 655's investment decisions sit inside an organization that simultaneously negotiates contracts, manages health and welfare benefits, and advocates on state labor policy. This dual identity — allocator and active labor organization — means the pension fund's governance is directly accountable to the same membership whose retirement security it stewards.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Ballwin
Corporate office
300 Weidman Road, Ballwin, MO 63011, United States
Additional offices
13537 Barrett Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Manchester, MO 63021 (Welfare Fund Office)
Principals
David A. Cook
President
Robert Spence
Secretary-Treasurer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at UFCW Local 655?
President David A. Cook and Secretary-Treasurer Robert Spence oversee the union's operations, which include pension fund governance. Specific investment committee composition, the use of an outside investment consultant, or delegation to an external CIO is not publicly disclosed. Union pension funds of this size frequently retain an investment consultant to advise on asset allocation and manager selection while the board of trustees retains fiduciary authority.
How does the UFCW Local 655 pension fund source its private equity investments?
The fund's strategy is tagged as buyout-focused. Most Taft-Hartley pension plans access private equity through discretionary commitments to institutional fund managers, rather than direct investments. The specific general partners, fund names, and commitment sizes are not publicly reported by the fund.
Is UFCW Local 655's pension fund a single-employer or multi-employer plan?
UFCW Local 655 operates as a local union, and its pension fund likely covers members employed by multiple grocery and food-processing companies under collective bargaining agreements — making it a multi-employer Taft-Hartley plan. The fund's welfare and pension assets are structured separately, with welfare benefits administered from a distinct Manchester, Missouri location.
Which sectors does UFCW Local 655's pension fund explicitly avoid?
No explicit exclusion list is publicly available. Many union pension funds screen for compliance with labor standards and may avoid investments that conflict with member interests in grocery, meatpacking, and food processing. The union's close affiliation with the AFL-CIO and its coalition memberships suggest general alignment with organized labor priorities in investment stewardship.
Does UFCW Local 655 maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated from the pension fund?
The union runs a Leukemia and Lymphoma Fund and a Political Action Fund as distinct charitable and advocacy vehicles. These are organizationally separate from the pension fund's investment assets. The union also partners with the United Way of Greater St. Louis on member-assistance programs, a relationship maintained independently of the retirement plan.
What is UFCW Local 655's posture on co-investments alongside external general partners?
No public record confirms direct co-investment activity. Taft-Hartley plans typically access private equity through commingled fund commitments rather than separate account co-investment programs, though larger plans increasingly negotiate co-investment rights alongside fund commitments. UFCW Local 655 has not disclosed the specific structure of its buyout allocations.
How is UFCW Local 655 related to the national UFCW International Union?
UFCW Local 655 is a chartered local affiliate of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. While the International sets broad policy and provides support, the local union manages its own operations, collective bargaining agreements, and pension fund governance from its Ballwin, Missouri headquarters. The national union's investment programs — including any national UFCW pension fund — are separately administered from Local 655's plan.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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