Search

When you think of workers hamstrung by the “independent contractor” label, you probably don’t think of Maine lobstermen.

But it turns out that lobstermen—a title claimed by women as well as men who catch and sell lobster for a living—have something in common with warehouse temps and Uber drivers. As independent contractors they’re denied the collective bargaining rights and various other workplace protections and benefits afforded (to some) by U.S. labor law.

Thursday, March 10th, at 2:00 pm EST 

What is risk and who decides who bears it? Typically, risk is assigned to those with the fewest resources. Investments to low-income communities and communities of color are often denied because they are deemed "too risky." In this webinar, participants challenge those assumptions and discuss strategies that they implement to shift risk to those who can afford to bear it and facilitate the building of wealth in low-income communities and communities of color. Our panelists are:

Unions and worker cooperatives have a lot in common when it comes to passions and principles for democratic workplaces. Where they differ is in strategy and tactics. At this moment in history, it is clear to many that much needs to be torn down and much needs to be built up. To face this challenge and change our economic system to achieve genuine workplace democracy requires new ways of doing business and a multi-pronged approach.

TESA member Andrew Stachiw, and Alex Fischer of A Bookkeeping Cooperative are leading the pilot program in Vermont, one of two in the US.

Over the last 4 months, Andrew and Alex have spoken with every worker co-op and many of the solidarity economy organizations in the state and are now working with Vermont cooperatives to build out the next steps of their organizing project.

Here at Worx, we believe that co-ops not only foster internal democracy—but also increase job security and give all our workers the ability to benefit directly from our work. Having a stake in the company—financially and socially, literally, and metaphysically—fosters a rich ecosystem of mutual interest and deepens our commitment to the Work. (And Worx.)

Steve Jones, a former member of the co-op who went on to join the SaveMEC campaign, is calling for a change in the law of British Columbia province, which he says contains a loophole which allows a co-op board to sell and demutualise the business without consulting members.

Erik Forman is co-founder of The Drivers Cooperative, the first driver-owned rideshare platform cooperative in the U.S., as well as People’s Choice Communications, the world’s first worker-owned ISP, launched by striking cable technicians.

In this episode of Shared Stories, Karen and Enrique Leon talk about how they are fighting gentrification and escalating rents with a cooperative that is preserving their neighborhood's artistry and diversity.

REI, the Seattle-based outdoor gear retailer whose name is practically synonymous with camping, doesn’t want you to think it’s anti-union. Unions are fine, a great choice for some companies; they’re just not for this company. In fact, REI seems to suggest, it doesn’t even need a union, because it’s already a co-op. “We are, at our core, a cooperative,” its newly created anti-union website gushes.

Tim Huet: I come from a background where there was a lot of bias against even the concept of leadership, like it’s a negative thing. Because if you have leaders, you have other people that are followers, we didn’t want to have that.

And I came to feel over time that that was a very toxic thing on the left and among progressive organizations, that in fact we need leadership, and part of the role of a democratic leader is to make other people into leaders.