This week, John McNamara of the Northwest Cooperative Development Center shares his thoughts on the last 20 years of worker co-op organizing, and discusses the little known history of the Democracy at Work Network, a worker co-op peer advising organization that served an important role for worker co-ops in the US until 2018.
Then Yavor Tarinski writes about what he thinks will be necessary to move modern Western societies towards the development of democratic and ecologically sustainable cities.
And finally, in a follow-up to her piece last week on how GEO's directory of worker co-ops - An Economy of Hope - helped lead to the founding of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, Jessica Gordon-Nembhard joins Josh and Chris on this month's livestream to add some further details and thoughts about where our movement should be heading (and whether we should even call it a movement).
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2024 Reflections from John McNamara, Ph.D.
by John McNamara, GEO Collective
We were part of the initial group that developed the peer to peer training protocols. We held a number of meetings around the country. I think a two-day session in Madison in 2008 really cemented the idea of creating the program; and then from that, building what a certification process looks like. As a member of Union Cab of Madison Cooperative, I definitely saw the value of technical assistance.Â
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Towards Democratic and Ecological Cities
by Yavor Tarinski
Increasing popular dissatisfaction with the current state of urban life contains the seeds of a different city for the future. A growing number of people desire cities that will be viewed and managed as commons by their residents. Democratized urban space that will allow for a genuine right to the city to be experienced by the entire citizenry. Cities based not on fortification and stratification, but on inclusion and interaction. Urban spaces, focused on the quality of everyday life of all their inhabitants and surroundings, and not on financial profit and unlimited economic growth.
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Are worker cooperatives the future of the vet industry?
Veterinary Practice News — In a professional space rife with influences by corporations and private equity, the veterinary industry is ready for something different—the worker cooperative model. By dedicating their time, passion, energy, and years of education and training, veterinary professionals work to improve the lives of animals and care for the people who love them, and not likely driven by profit alone...
Can the DisCO Revolution Scale to a Global Commons?
Postcapitalist Assemblages — Imagine a world where the collaborative spirit of a bustling farmers’ market, the shared knowledge of an open-source software project, and the radical democracy of a worker-owned cooperative, all coalesce on a global scale. This is the promise of a globally interconnected commons, a future where the DisCO revolution transcends the boundaries of individual cities and communities, weaving together a vibrant tapestry of shared resources, knowledge, and practices for the benefit of all...
Aging in Place in Rural Nebraska: Homecare Worker Cooperatives
Nebraska Center for Agricultural Profitability (YouTube) — Cindy Houlden, a Cooperative Development Specialist with the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, joins to discuss g a pressing issue facing rural Nebraska and much of the country – the challenge of aging in place and the innovative solutions being developed to address it...
National Conference on Black Cooperative Agenda
NDCC Network — We have selected Saint Paul, Minnesota as our host city and this year’s conference dates are June 13-15, 2024, Our goal this year is to bring together diverse and influential Black cooperatives, economic practitioners and social entrepreneurs to foster collective dialogue, strengthen collaboration and develop actionable strategies to address systemic challenges that promote economic self-sufficiency and build sustainable economic futures for Black cooperatives within communities of color...
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New on our YouTube Channel
20 Years of the USFWC w/ Jessica Gordon-Nembhard
Is There a Worker Co-op Movement in the US?
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