Positive News US is a free, not for profit newspaper published four times a year in Ithaca, NY. We report on successful projects around the world in the areas of sustainability, social equality, education and happiness, with a clear message that "another world is possible."
more...
| a part of Positive News International |
Take Heart: A Democratic Tide Is Rising! |
Photo: © GEO
Presenting organic sesame, honey,
coffee and peanuts
early grouping of members
of the Agriculture cooperative
along with U.S. buyers.
Presenting organic sesame, honey,
coffee and peanuts
early grouping of members
of the Agriculture cooperative
along with U.S. buyers.
by Jen Scott, GEO Newsletter
Many Americans believe that while corporations have become far too powerful, there’s nothing that can challenge or displace them. But take heart: there are plenty of alternatives, and new ones are cropping up all the time!
Some of these are known as Worker Co-ops, which are businesses run democratically: every member shares part of the ownership, and has a say in what happens within the company. While this might sound "pie-in-the-sky", these enterprises do exist, and they have had great success. In Europe, they have grown from 2,500 in 1980 to about 25, 000 today, with a membership of 1.5 million worker-owners. And in the United States, 2004 saw the formation of a new national organization, the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives.
The Federation was formed to bring together worker-owned cooperatives from around the country, so that each could learn from the other and gain strength from solidarity in a common goal. So, for three days last May, about 200 worker-owners came together in Minneapolis to share information, training tips, and their experiences with participatory democracy. As they discussed topics like the role of the democratic workplace in the global social justice movement, and how worker co-ops can fight oppression and foster diversity, these worker-owners experienced a sense that their own collective was part of an even larger community of fellow collectives working toward a shared outcome.
Soon after this groundbreaking conference, the Boston Social Forum (BFS) brought together almost 10,000 people to share ideas, form networks, and help build more effective and more progressive movements toward positive social change. Offering over 600 workshops, the BSF was an overwhelming success. In particular, more than 40 of these events were part of the “Other Economies Are Possible!” Track, which made it clear that cooperative enterprises of many diverse sorts (local currencies, barter groups, community gardens, intentional and ecological communities, fair trade networks, worker co-ops and more) provide a rapidly growing alternative to business as usual. As with the Minneapolis conference, the BSF left participants with a real sense of solidarity with other progressive organizations. A follow-up conference, called Minding Our Own Business (MOOB), will happen in September.
Worker co-ops have been thriving, both in the US and abroad, for many years. Since 1984, folks at the GEO (Grassroots Economic Organizing) Newsletter have chronicled the successes of such co-ops as the 200-member Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco (which boasts a very non-hierarchical, yet very effective decision-making process) and the Nicaraguan Women’s Sewing Cooperative (formed in April of 2004, specializing in clothing made from certified organic cotton). Much can be learned from the trials and tribulations of groups such as these, and there is much hope to be found in their successes.
It’s clear, then, that another world is not just possible, but on the rise. Worker co-ops, and other democratic enterprises, offer us many paths to that world. Every time we join or form or support one of them, we bring that new world closer.
Contact: GEO - Grassroots Economic Organizing
Website: www.geo.coop
Tel: 1-800-240-9721
Many Americans believe that while corporations have become far too powerful, there’s nothing that can challenge or displace them. But take heart: there are plenty of alternatives, and new ones are cropping up all the time!
Some of these are known as Worker Co-ops, which are businesses run democratically: every member shares part of the ownership, and has a say in what happens within the company. While this might sound "pie-in-the-sky", these enterprises do exist, and they have had great success. In Europe, they have grown from 2,500 in 1980 to about 25, 000 today, with a membership of 1.5 million worker-owners. And in the United States, 2004 saw the formation of a new national organization, the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives.
The Federation was formed to bring together worker-owned cooperatives from around the country, so that each could learn from the other and gain strength from solidarity in a common goal. So, for three days last May, about 200 worker-owners came together in Minneapolis to share information, training tips, and their experiences with participatory democracy. As they discussed topics like the role of the democratic workplace in the global social justice movement, and how worker co-ops can fight oppression and foster diversity, these worker-owners experienced a sense that their own collective was part of an even larger community of fellow collectives working toward a shared outcome.
Soon after this groundbreaking conference, the Boston Social Forum (BFS) brought together almost 10,000 people to share ideas, form networks, and help build more effective and more progressive movements toward positive social change. Offering over 600 workshops, the BSF was an overwhelming success. In particular, more than 40 of these events were part of the “Other Economies Are Possible!” Track, which made it clear that cooperative enterprises of many diverse sorts (local currencies, barter groups, community gardens, intentional and ecological communities, fair trade networks, worker co-ops and more) provide a rapidly growing alternative to business as usual. As with the Minneapolis conference, the BSF left participants with a real sense of solidarity with other progressive organizations. A follow-up conference, called Minding Our Own Business (MOOB), will happen in September.
Worker co-ops have been thriving, both in the US and abroad, for many years. Since 1984, folks at the GEO (Grassroots Economic Organizing) Newsletter have chronicled the successes of such co-ops as the 200-member Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco (which boasts a very non-hierarchical, yet very effective decision-making process) and the Nicaraguan Women’s Sewing Cooperative (formed in April of 2004, specializing in clothing made from certified organic cotton). Much can be learned from the trials and tribulations of groups such as these, and there is much hope to be found in their successes.
It’s clear, then, that another world is not just possible, but on the rise. Worker co-ops, and other democratic enterprises, offer us many paths to that world. Every time we join or form or support one of them, we bring that new world closer.
Contact: GEO - Grassroots Economic Organizing
Website: www.geo.coop
Tel: 1-800-240-9721
Announcements
What do You find hopeful in the world today? Please contribute a short paragraph and be published in Positive News. We are currently selecting...
more >
The California Edition of Positive News is well on the way! We are looking for volunteers to help make it happen. To join our team contact...
more >
