Worker-Owned Cooperatives:

The Work We Do is the Solution

From grocery stores and bakeries to bike shops and day care centers, worker-owned cooperatives are gaining popularity across the country. Unlike the profit-at-any-cost capitalist model, co-ops put people and the community first, and are democratically run and collectively-owned, allowing all workers to participate and benefit equally.

According to Go.Coop, "more often than you probably realize, co-ops play a vital part of your everyday life." More than 47,000 co-ops in the U.S. serve 130 million people or 43 percent of the population. There are more than 3,000 farmer-owned cooperatives in the U.S. Almost 10,000 credit unions provide financial services to approximately 84 million members. Nearly 1,000 rural electric co-ops operate more than half of the nation's electric distribution lines and provide electricity to more than 37 million people. Food co-ops have been innovators in the areas of unit pricing, consumer protection, organic and bulk foods, and nutritional labeling. More than 50,000 families in the U.S. use cooperative day care centers, giving co-ops a crucial role in the care of children.

Common Security Clubs

Offer the Jobless a Lifeline

By Arlie Hochschild

Los Angeles Times
May 25, 2010

The jobless in the United States lose far more than their paychecks; they also lose precious social support. Research has found that the health of those who lose jobs is likely to decline and the risk of dying rises. Many not only lose daily contact with factory and office friends, they also retreat from other social interaction. Compared with the employed, the jobless are less likely to vote, volunteer, see friends and talk to family. Even on weekends, the jobless spend more time alone than those with jobs.

That's not good. Because as activist and author Chuck Collins has discovered, misery really does love company, especially when social interactions are aimed at helping end the misery. Since January 2009, Collins, an energetic, dark-haired 50-year-old, and his assistant, Andree Zaleska, have launched 115 Common Security Clubs in nine states. The clubs are citizen action groups designed to bring the unemployed - and the anxiously employed - together to help each other. Each club consists of 15 to 20 members, drawn from churches, union halls, environmental groups or neighborhoods. They meet in homes and church basements, and in Marion County, Ore., a group meets in an old Grange Hall.

I heard about Collins' efforts from a friend, and recently interviewed him and eight members of a Common Security Club for a book I am finishing. As we sat at a table in his chilly office in the worn-out, working-class Boston suburb of Jamaica Plain, Collins laid out the concept. "The recession hits us one by one, but we're all in this together," he said. "We start there."

49th Ward Alderman, Joe Moore

Chicago Breakthrough:

The Results of the 49th Ward

Participatory Budgeting Election

Dear Neighbor,

The ballots are cast, the votes are in, and the people have spoken.  Attached below are the results of the first ever Participatory Budgeting Election in the U.S.

Election Results 2010.pdf (146 KB)

Over 1,600 residents of our community voted in this historic election to determine how I will spend my 2010 capital improvement budget.  The winning proposals run the gamut from the traditional--repairing sidewalks and resurfacing streets--to the less conventional, such as community gardens and murals, which give the 49th Ward its special flavor. 

When I launched the 49th Ward Participatory Budgeting process one year ago, I had high expectations for our very special neighborhood.  The 49th Ward has a proud history of civic engagement, and I knew my constituents would embrace this process. 

But Saturday's election exceeded even my wildest dreams.  It was more than an election.  It was a community celebration and an affirmation that people will participate in the civic affairs of their community if given real power to make real decisions.

This was a people-powered process from beginning to end.  From the initial planning stages to its final implementation, the process was driven by scores of community volunteers.  I extend my deepest gratitude to the members of the 49th Ward Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee and the 49th Ward residents who volunteered countless hours as "Community Representatives."  I especially want to acknowledge 49th Ward resident Paul Bluestone of Bluestone & Associates for his generous contribution of design services.

And kudos to my 49th Ward Service Office staff--especially Nicole Summers, Betsy Vandercook and Wayne Frazier--who worked long hours to support the work of the steering committee and community representatives, and Josh Lerner and Gianpaolo Baiocchi of the Participatory Budgeting Project for their guidance and ongoing support.

Finally, and most importantly, my thanks to the 1,652 residents of the 49th Ward who voted in this historic election and took democracy into their own hands.  I'm proud to represent this amazing community.

Sincerely,

Joe Moore

Visit the website of the 49th Ward

Photo: Community meeting

Concern for Community:

Looking Deeper at the

Mondragon Principles

By John McNamara

"Concern for Community" is the last of the principles listed in the Identity Statement. It is the expression of the value of solidarity and social responsibility. It creates one of the multiple bottom lines for co-operatives.

It is not enough for a co-operative to be a profitable business. If it fails to be a leader for a more just, verdant and peaceful world*, then it has failed as a co-operative and might as well just be a group of greedy stockholders. Too often worker co-operators become insular and prone to naval gazing. Our structure is set up that way. We are predetermined (if we don’t act or create other structures) to focus on internal operations to the exclusion of the outside world. If we don’t engage this principle, we can fall into a pit of arrogance.