FLASH! EASTERN CONFERENCE OF DEMOCRATIC FIRMS!
by Bob Stone

"Sharing the Promise: Economic Democracy at Work," an historic East coast conference of worker cooperatives and democratic ESOPs, will be July 19-21 at the U. of Maryland, College Park, MD, outside of Washington DC.

Democratic firms across the nation and around the world are being invited. Goals of the historic gathering are to: meet needs of participating democratic workplaces, foster mutual aid, and build the workplace democracy movement.

"We are asking democratic firms to shape the meeting with program ideas," said Leta Mach of National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA), a sponsor. Room and board per participant will be near $200, she said.

Hosts are University of Maryland's Democracy Collaborative and NCBA. Programing will be set by 11 representatives of democratic firms. They work with a Support Committee of representatives from Cooperative Life, ICA Group, Southern Appalachian Center for Cooperative Ownership, Ownership Associates, Ohio Center for Employee Ownership, GEO, and similar groups. Organizers are coordinating with the "Breitenbush" Western Worker Cooperative Conference.

Polling revealed various program interests, especially participatory management and inter-cooperation. The conference's national database, building on GEO's An Economy of Hope, needs updates and new firms' input.

For information, program proposals, or database listings, contact:

Leta M. Mach

Director of Education

National Cooperative Business Association

1401 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 1100

Washington, DC 20005; USA

tel: 202-383-5450; fax: 202-638-1374

lmach@ncba.coop

www.ncba.coop

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