It’s not surprising that, in an era characterized by the decline of, and increasing assaults on, labor unions, along with the economic impacts of the pandemic, that the cooperative movement is gaining popularity.
The list of benefits for cooperative ownership can go on and on. So why aren’t there more of them? Why isn’t there a cooperative grocery in every neighborhood? Why are the vast majority of small businesses still only using conventional ownership models?
Meet.coop, the ethical video conferencing service, powered by renewable energy and open source software, is a great example of a business which is putting principle 6 into action, reaping the benefits of mutuality and growing the cooperative commons economy at the same time.
Democratic workplaces may be, in a general sense, unusually adaptable in the face of large-scale emergencies. Research and interviews with worker-owners found their businesses retained and created jobs, fostered community and kept workers and the public safe. They did not generate huge profits, but they created security for everyone in and around them.
“There’s no hierarchy, no management. We all share equal responsibility,” said Heather Farnham, a worker-owner at Arizmendi Bakery for the past 18 years.
Meanwhile, amid the pandemic, co-ops have found new strength in Puerto Rico.
Fostering sustainable worker ownership and control of their organizations has long been an aspiration for many. Yet, the growth of worker-owned firms (WOFs) is often accompanied by organizational degeneration: the tendency for a small oligarchy of unrepresentative workers to control democratic structures at the expense of the participation of everyday workers. Prior research suggests that organizational degeneration occurs naturally as WOFs become larger and more complex.
All told, the co-op raised $5.5 million from a range of partners, including family foundations, the Dayton Foundation, a New Market Tax Credit allocation, and local hospitals, who saw the co-op as a way to address the social determinants of health. These funds covered building and equipment costs.
“We have a very unique business model compared to all of the other platforms,” says Mr Hayes. In addition to being owned and run by teachers themselves, MyCoolClass will provide products that no other platform currently offers.
In India, the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) has focused on enabling its member co-operatives to continue operating. A study by SEWA in November found that the average monthly household income of its members had dropped by 65% over the course of the pandemic, from INR 18,068 (£181) to INR 6,313 (£63). Lockdown measures also impacted informal workers’ access to social services such as healthcare, childcare and insurance.
In nature, an intelligent life force exists. A fractal network, made up of billions of cells transforms the land across the globe. What if these masses of biology are modeling cooperation, liberation, and nourishment for us? What could we learn from mycelium.
