Catalyzing worker co-ops & the solidarity economy
The economic collapse has effected millions of people in the critical areas of housing and jobs. It's no longer a secret that many are rediscovering the tried and true tradition of democratic worker cooperatives. "Democracy 24/7 : Living & Working Coop" talks to some great people who are members of both worker and housing cooperatives; jobs and housing that is owned and democratically run by the people who work/live there.
WINNIPEG, MB - It was a simple idea born in dire times, during the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution in 1844 England: could ordinary people pool their resources to their mutual benefit? That idea led to a global co-operative movement, with the first member-owned credit union appearing in Manitoba in St. Malo in the 1930s. Today, there are more than 350 Manitoba co-ops serving 800,000 members in all facets of life from grocery stores to financial services to gas bars.
Economists who think economics should serve people, the planet, and the future make their case in a short video.
This is a good piece on the privatization efforts in Cuba with a distinct emphasis on worker-ownership. Worth a look.
It's also worth going back to pick up Richard Wolff's interview of Gar Alperovitz from April of 2012. The transcript and audio are both available at the link.
On the last day of 2012 our 25th year as a worker cooperative (and 37th in business) ended. It was an extraordinary year – rich, full, profitable, demanding, restorative, and uplifting. It was a year of many “first-evers”. On November 1st we welcomed...
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TruthOut published a very positive review of John Curl's 2nd Edition ... discussed in Michael Johnson's interview of Curl late last year. As the U.S.
In the fall of 2011 we were asked to examine a 50-acre property with multiple buildings to see if we could determine ways to reduce our client’s carbon footprint. The historic buildings presented a challenge. There were acceptable ways to reduce energy consumption but they were not as significant as we would have liked. Likewise, the opportunities to produce energy were limited as most places to mount solar electric panels on both roofs and ground were ruled out.
The Peer-To-Peer gang discovers an Economic Democracy resource. Dada Maheshvarananda, an american Yogi working at the PROUT (Progressive Utilization Theory) Institute in Venecuela has recently updated this book with new material.
