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Worker Cooperatives: A Powerful Force for Justice and Democracy
Worker cooperatives have the potential to become a powerful
force for building economic justice and democracy in the United States and
around the world. Dedicated and creative cooperators challenge the system of
competition and greed at its very heart. They demonstrate, contrary to dominant
economic wisdom, that businesses without bosses can survive and thrive. They
prove that the democratic empowerment of workers can generate increased productivity,
efficiency as well as worker health and well-being. They exemplify businesses
that are locally-rooted, locally-controlled, and responsible to their
communities. But most importantly, these cooperative enterprises spark our
imaginations, deepen our beliefs in the power of solidarity, and show us that
another economy―and another world―are not just possible, but are
already emerging.
In this issue of Grassroots Economic Organizing, we have
joined together with the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives
(USFWC)―formed in 2004 to bring together worker owned and run
businesses and their supporters across the U.S ―to create a
collage of articles that highlight the power, creativity and potential of the
movement for workplace democracy. The articles of this special issue highlight
the upcoming historic gathering of worker cooperatives in New York City,
October 13-15, the history and trajectory of the U.S. Federation, and a number
of innovative and successful worker cooperatives across the country. In the
"Forum" section, we explore the importance of building strong
linkages between worker cooperatives and broader movements for social and
economic justice. Only through concrete, cross-issue support and solidarity,
many writers in this section suggest, can the movement for democratic
workplaces succeed in growing into a truly transformative social force. (We
invite comments from readers on this forum question, and will be convening a
workshop around it at the USFWC Conference in October.) Other articles in the
issue explore larger themes of global social movement organizing (Stone and
Bowman's article on the World Social Forum) and long-term economic vision and
strategy (Krimerman's reviews of books by Gar Alperovitz and David Ellerman).
This array of articles can only provide a glimpse into the
vast world of workplace democracy and cooperation; for example, there are
obstacles to building a fully cooperative economy which are not addressed here.
Nonetheless, we hope they will inspire and inform our readers' ongoing work for
economic and social justice―and attract many of you to the
Federation's NYC Conference. (See www.usworker.coop for details.)
Many thanks to Jane Livingston and Melissa Hoover of the
USFWC for their hard work assembling material for this issue, as well as to the
many other cooperators who contributed ideas, texts and inspirations. We are
excited to offer our pages to the USFWC in support of this hopeful and
inspiring movement for economic democracy. Building on this collaboration as a
model for future publications, GEO hopes to connect with other organizations
and networks in the future with whom we might create "cooperative
issues" focused on and in support of their work. Contact us at editors@geo.coop
if your organization, initiative, or publication is
interested in collaborating on a future issue of GEO. Our publication is a
resource for change, and we at GEO hope to make these pages as useful as
possible for those who are working to build a more just, joyful and democratic
future.
In Cooperation & Solidarity,
The GEO Collective
Include the citation below and GEO Newsletter grants
permission to copy, use, and distribute this article.
Permission not for commercial or for-profit use.
©2007 GEO, P O Box 115, Riverdale MD 20738
http://www.geo.coop
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