ICA Group's David Hammer on Business Strategy

Submitted by Joe on Tue, 2015-03-03 19:46

Rebuilding the Rust Belt: How a former CIA executive and a new breed of lettuce are transforming the poorest parts of the Rust Belt city

Epstein K. 2015. Rebuilding the Rust Belt: How a former CIA executive and a new breed of lettuce are transforming the poorest parts of the Rust Belt city . Politico.

Buying Out Your Boss: Worker Cooperatives Are the Future of Small Business

Beauchamp S. 2014. Buying Out Your Boss: Worker Cooperatives Are the Future of Small Business. Pacific Standard.

Creating [adidas] Factory Cooperatives: A Guidebook for Factory Workers and Owners

Global Alliance for Workers and Communities. 2005. Creating [adidas] Factory Cooperatives: A Guidebook for Factory Workers and Owners.

Conflict Resolution

Submitted by Joe on Sun, 2015-02-22 21:06

From NASCO

Managing Growth in Worker Cooperatives

Submitted by Joe on Sun, 2015-02-22 20:58

From NASCO

Casa Nueva's Org Chart

Submitted by Joe on Sat, 2015-02-21 22:23

From Casa Nueva:

"The governance structure is based on established models, including those developed by the Industrial Cooperative Association in Boston, and in the larger sense, the Mondragon system of cooperatives in the Basque region of Spain. However, our success as a cooperative rests firmly on our ability to adapt these models to the goals and needs of the business and the individual co-op members.

Everyone who works at Casa has a voice that is listened to and respected. However, only the members (worker-owners) of the co-op have a vote. Each worker-owner owns one non-transferable share of the business and one vote. We are a cooperative, but there are still decisions to be made and people to hold accountable for those decisions. This is our structure (which may or may not be considered hierarchal):"

Understanding Worker-Owned Cooperatives: a Strategic Guide for Community Organizers

Dastur N. 2012. Understanding Worker-Owned Cooperatives: a Strategic Guide for Community Organizers.

Opportunity Threads Profile by the Catholic News Herald

Submitted by Joe on Sat, 2015-02-21 21:56

CoLab's Bylaws on GitHub

Submitted by Joe on Sat, 2015-02-21 00:12

The bylaws of CoLab Cooperative, incorporated in New York State in 2014 as a worker cooperative, are posted to GitHub for anyone to fork.

ARTICLE 1: WORKERS & MEMBERSHIP
ARTICLE 2: TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
ARTICLE 3: MEMBERSHIP CONSENSUS
ARTICLE 4: MEETINGS
ARTICLE 5: OFFICERS
ARTICLE 6: INSPECTION RIGHTS
ARTICLE 7: SURPLUSES, DEFICITS AND ALLOCATIONS

Madison, Wisconsin, Is Investing $5 Million In Worker Cooperatives

Beginning next year, the city of Madison, Wisconsin will invest $1 million per year for five years in establishing new worker-owned businesses, commonly known as worker cooperatives.

Madison Mayor Paul Soglin says that he got the idea from New York City's announcement last year to invest $1.2 million in co-op development.

"I'd read about what Mayor de Blasio had proposed for New York City when I was in the process of developing the 2015 city budget," says Soglin. "I simply went back to the office the next day and said: 'We're not going to be upstaged by New York City.'"

Cassano J. 2015. Madison, Wisconsin, Is Investing $5 Million In Worker Cooperatives. Fast Company.

Transforming Businesses Into Cooperatives: Bringing the New Economy to Scale

Submitted by Joe on Wed, 2015-02-18 23:03

Arizmendi's Secret

Submitted by Joe on Wed, 2015-02-18 22:58

Forget Venture Capitalists—This Scrappy Composting Co-Op Found Another Way to Get Startup Money

Flanders L. 0. Forget Venture Capitalists—This Scrappy Composting Co-Op Found Another Way to Get Startup Money. Yes! Magazine.

CERO Cooperative

Submitted by Joe on Wed, 2015-02-18 21:32

Own the Change

Submitted by Joe on Thu, 2015-02-12 15:39

From Toolbox for Education and Social Action:

Own the Change: Building Economic Democracy One Worker Co-op at a Time is a short documentary meant to give an overview of what a worker co-op is, how it can transform lives and communities, and the realities of starting one. Watch as we go through concrete steps for building economic alternatives by creating worker-owned cooperatives. Featuring conversations with worker-owners from Union Cab; Ginger Moon; Arizmendi Bakery, Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance (AORTA); New Era Windows; and more.

In addition to the film, we have created a series of educational resources to be used alongside this documentary. These can be employed by co-op developers, community organizers, activists, teachers, professors, and more. The resources can be used in formal and informal educational settings, and given their modular design, each section can be used as part of a larger curriculum or as standalone modules. For example, if you are an aspiring group of cooperators that wants learn more about governance, everyday democracy, or cooperative networks, you can pick and choose for those modules – on the other hand, you may be a classroom teacher that wants to explore alternative economic models with your students and provide an overview of the cooperative model.

We produced Own the Change in partnership with GRITtv.

Think Outside the Boss 2012

Submitted by Joe on Tue, 2015-01-20 14:28

The East Bay Community Law Center and The Sustainable Economy Law Center teamed up in Richmond, CA April 14, 2012 for a free workshop on how to start a worker cooperative. The event included break out groups at the end, with face-to-face consultations with lawyers from EBCLC and SELC, as well as NoBAWC, USFWC and CCCD.

A playlist of seven videos from JJ Noire. See also the accompanying manual (2013 edition).