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Catalyzing worker co-ops & the solidarity economy

Worker Cooperatives

Businesses that are owned and democratically controlled by their workers/employees (called "worker-owners").

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October 3, 2016

A Cooperative Manifesto

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Summary

Cooperative development is the most important social change work that a person can do.

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March 4, 2024

Other Avenues Grocery Cooperative

Summary

Celia LoBuono Gonzalez joins us on the show this episode to share her story and that of Other Avenues Grocery Cooperative.

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February 8, 2024

How Workers Bypass the Blockade: Voices from Indorca (Part III)

Summary

Industrias del Orinoco, C.A. (Indorca) is a factory without bosses in Puerto Ordaz in Bolívar state, the home of Venezuela’s basic industries. Indorca’s workers carried out a heroic three-year struggle to gain control of the factory after the former owner brought it to a halt. Since 2015, when Venezuela’s Ministry of Labor extended a mandate giving the workers control over Indorca, the enterprise has been democratically managed by the women and men who produce here day in and day out.

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January 29, 2024

Scaling a Co-op Beyond 100 Members

Summary

A look at how a worker co-op with 140 members, a flat pay scale, and no hierarchy functions.

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January 22, 2024

Transform Finance: An Interview with Curt Lyon

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Summary

Transform Finance Executive Director Curt Lyon talks with Jim, Matt, and Josh about their work educating investors about ways to support businesses with a focus on worker empowerment.

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January 18, 2024

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Worker Co-ops

Summary

Practical tools to build real diversity, inclusion, and racial justice, and need for a cultural shift- planned by CWCF's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion ("JEDI") Committee as part of their action plan.

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January 16, 2024

Worker Control in a Capitalist Environment: Voices from Indorca (Part II)

Summary

Industrias del Orinoco, C.A. (Indorca) is a factory without bosses in the industrial city of Puerto Ordaz in Bolívar state, the home of Venezuela’s basic industries. Indorca workers carried out a heroic three-year struggle to gain control of the factory after the former owner brought it to a halt. Since 2015, when Venezuela’s Ministry of Labor extended a mandate giving the workers control over Indorca, the enterprise has been democratically managed by the women and men who produce here day in and day out.

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January 8, 2024

Creating a Support System for Platform Cooperatives in Thailand

Summary

In Thailand, several traditional cooperatives are offering products and services through digital platforms. While these may be considered Platform Co-ops, their primary revenue does not stem from the platform but from conventional business operations. This differs from the focus of this blog article, which refers to businesses that operate online through websites or mobile apps and are characterized by democratic decision-making and platform ownership by workers and users.

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January 4, 2024

Stitching a Co-operative Future in Victoria, BC

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Summary

In the heart of Victoria, British Columbia, a remarkable transformation story has been threaded by The Make House. What started as a 10-year-old sole proprietorship blossomed into a worker co-operative in December 2022.

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January 1, 2024

A Factory without Bosses

Summary

Industrias del Orinoco, C.A. (Indorca) is a factory without bosses in the industrial city of Puerto Ordaz in Bolívar state, the home of Venezuela’s basic industries. Indorca’s workers carried out a heroic three-year struggle to gain control of the factory after the former owner brought it to a halt. Since 2015, when Venezuela’s Ministry of Labor extended a mandate giving the workers control over Indorca, the enterprise has been democratically managed by the women and men who produce here day in and day out.