Worker Cooperatives make their case to Democracy Convention
On Friday August 26th, 50 people from around the country packed into a small classroom on the MATC campus to learn more about worker cooperatives. This panel discussion, “The Co-op Alternative to Corporate Capitalism,” was part of the first ever Democracy Convention that was held in Madison. The purpose of the convention was to strengthen our democracy where it matters most -- in our communities, our schools, our workplaces and local economies.
The panel discussion featured three speakers. Each one presented different topics involving Worker Cooperatives. Rebecca Kemble spoke on behalf of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and she started the presentation by explaining what a worker cooperative is and how it can benefit a community. Ole Olson gave examples of local worker cooperatives and explained the MadWorC organization. Gar Alperovitz presented the Evergreen cooperative model and discussed the possible cooperative economy of the future.
Many of the attendees were very curious about worker cooperatives but had no exposure to the business model and they weren’t even aware that such a company could exist. Some participants were totally surprised when they learned that within just a few miles of the convention, worker cooperatives employed almost 400 people with combined sales revenues approaching 30 million dollars.
The presentation on the Evergreen Cooperative model also attracted an large amount of curiosity. This new organization was designed using the Mondragon Cooperative as an example. The biggest difference between Evergreen and current worker cooperatives is that Evergreen is being “designed” from the top down. Rather than several organizations starting separately and getting together after they are well-established, the Evergreen model started as an umbrella organization that helps worker cooperatives get started. Using this business method, they hope to revitalize the local economy in Cleveland by organizing a group of cooperatives to stabilize the community.
After the presentations were completed, a lively 30-minute open discussion took place. It was very obvious that there is a lot of interest about our business model. Questions from the participants included everything from the history of the Mondragon model to “how do I start one?”
Although this was the first-ever Democracy Convention, and it probably had its share of challenges, it is hard to believe that it would be considered anything but an absolute success. It drew nationally known speakers and had over 1200 registered participants from across the country.
