Co-Ops Offer the Solution

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/11618-corporations-create-the-problem-co-ops-offer-the-solution

This article echos much of what I've been saying over the years. Here is an abbreviated version below:

"Cooperatives offer a means by which to change the economic and social landscape and directly tackle issues of wealth inequality, outsourcing of jobs and high unemployment. Our current economic and political systems benefit the wealthy. Change will not come from the top down, but from building over and replacing these systems with organizations that directly advance, and are responsible to, the communities they are a part of. By bringing democracy to our communities - in our workplaces, grocery stores and beyond - we can transform society and the economy.

1. Cooperatives are democratic businesses and organizations, equally owned and controlled by a group of people. There are worker co-ops, consumer co-ops, producer co-ops, housing co-ops, financial co-ops and more. In a cooperative, one member has one vote.

2. Because cooperatives are democratically owned by community members, co-ops keep money (and jobs) in their communities.

3. Co-ops aren't charity; they're an empowering means for self-help, mutual aid and solidarity.

4. Cooperatives are more resilient in economic downturns. When other businesses might shut down or lay off workers, co-op members pull together to work out solutions.

5. Cooperatives are viable and just alternatives for meeting our economic and social needs, in contrast to corporations that exploit people and the planet."

Originally posted by rwingett
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/11618-corporations-create-the-problem-co-ops-offer-the-solution

This article echos much of what I've been saying over the years. Here is an abbreviated version below:

"Cooperatives offer a means by which to change the economic and social landscape and directly tackle issues of wealth inequality, outsourcing of jobs an ...[text shortened]... economic and social needs, in contrast to corporations that exploit people and the planet."

Originally posted by Kunsoo
Quiz - can you name the largest co-op in the US?

My dad worked for the utility co-op as a lineman. Are all those utility coops counted as one entity? If so That's my answer to the quiz.

Back in 1990, a major employer business closure was averted by a deal with the workers, effectively turning SPC into an employees' co-operative. Things went swimmingly for about 4 years and then the workers decided it was all too hard and sold out to National Foods for a quick bonus payment and guaranteed jobs.
National Foods then sold out to CocaColaAmatil, who of course honour NO agreements which aren't 100% in favour of the company's benefit. Now the whole conglomerate has been exported to low-wage countries and we can't even eat our own produce any more.

Co-operatives only work if there's no way for big business to buy them out ...

I didn't know that Ace Hardware is a co-op, which makes me question my information. However, I read a few years back that REI is the largest co-op. Love that store!

Originally posted by rwingett
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/11618-corporations-create-the-problem-co-ops-offer-the-solution

This article echos much of what I've been saying over the years. Here is an abbreviated version below:

"Cooperatives offer a means by which to change the economic and social landscape and directly tackle issues of wealth inequality, outsourcing of jobs an ...[text shortened]... economic and social needs, in contrast to corporations that exploit people and the planet."

Originally posted by Kewpie
Back in 1990, a major employer business closure was averted by a deal with the workers, effectively turning SPC into an employees' co-operative. Things went swimmingly for about 4 years and then the workers decided it was all too hard and sold out to National Foods for a quick bonus payment and guaranteed jobs.
National Foods then sold out to CocaColaAmatil ...[text shortened]... any more.

Co-operatives only work if there's no way for big business to buy them out ...

Originally posted by Kunsoo
I didn't know that Ace Hardware is a co-op, which makes me question my information. However, I read a few years back that REI is the largest co-op. Love that store!

Co-operatives are a good thing, for sure, but they'll never fundamentally change the nature of capitalism: over here the Co-ops produced a political party, the Co-Operative Party, that was supposed to exert political power for the movement, but has ended up as a sock puppet for funding unimaginative centrist MPs. Parecon and guild socialist solutions are a more interesting way of extending industrial democracy - and while I suspect the macroeconomists of RHP do not generally favour either of those options, the fact remains that both of those systems turn workers into active citizens and democratize through real, day-to-day decision-making, as opposed to the more notional formal democracy of the big co-operatives.

Originally posted by rwingett
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/11618-corporations-create-the-problem-co-ops-offer-the-solution

This article echos much of what I've been saying over the years. Here is an abbreviated version below:

"Cooperatives offer a means by which to change the economic and social landscape and directly tackle issues of wealth inequality, outsourcing of jobs an economic and social needs, in contrast to corporations that exploit people and the planet."