Comments on: Mondragon, Solidarity Economy Get a Peek in Mainstream Media

By: Editors

Editors — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 13:08:29 +0000

At one point the range was 8-to-1, but the worker-assemblies voted to bring in back to 4.5 to one on average. I believe today Caja Laboral is the highest, at 7-to-1. (compared with a 350-to-one average in the US) Also today almost all of the workers are shareholders, save for Eroski, which is still in transition. Before the current crisis, the average was 85 percent shareholders, or higher. But the non-owner new hires were laid off. None one the worker-owners have been laid off, but some have been transferred to other coops in the network. Where did you get this one-third figure?

By: Felipe

Felipe — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:59:42 +0000

Actually the top manager maker 8 times the salary of a worker and only a third of the workers are shaerholders.

By: Editors

Editors — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:17:40 +0000

The workers at MCC are the owners, Joe–one share and one vote per worker, with no one else holding any shares at all. And they bought the shares with the sweat of their own labor. The average spread in income from the newest worker to the top manager is 4.5 to one, determined by the worker-owners themselves. As the owners, they can hire and fire their managers. They pay their taxes, provide their own health care and pensions apart from the state, and generally have little to do with government. The books are open to all. So what’s your problem here?

By: Joe Lazar

Joe Lazar — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 06:47:21 +0000

Sounds more like Communist slavery to me on the backs of unsuspecting workers. I would love to see a full accounting audit of where the money goes at Arizmendi, but I know I won’t because they are a private company. Some people are sheep, and they’ll only find out when it’s too late that they’ve been had.