Skip to main content

Home/ Commons.fi/ Group items tagged keissi

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Filter: All | Bookmarks | Topics Simple Middle
Jukka Peltokoski

Worker-Owned Cooperatives: Direct Democracy in Action - 3 views

truth-out.org/...ves-direct-democracy-in-action

coops tesa osuuskunta-keissi osuuskunta-teoria cooperative osuuskuntakirja

shared by Jukka Peltokoski on 14 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • Flashpoints—those unexpected events that movements gather around, when everything is accelerated, exciting, and energizing—fizzle.
  • The cooperative movement is experiencing a string of these moments now, and is burgeoning with renewed activity. I see this first­hand as a co­-owner of the Toolbox for Education and Social Action (TESA), a worker­-owned cooperative
  • It’s our philosophy that cooperatives enable direct democracy and local control over the economy. As participants in the co­op movement, we help to turn flashpoints into lasting social change.
  • ...17 more annotations...
  • The organization is structured as a worker co­op, and operates by consensus with a membership comprised of representatives from other worker co­ops.
  • Even though only 1% of the cooperatives in the United States are worker owned, their organizing success has recently made them a focal point in the struggle for economic justice. Indeed, Occupy Wall Street participants launched a worker-run co-op print shop in Brooklyn called OccuCopy.
  • Guided by cooperative principle number six, which promotes cooperation amongst cooperatives, partnerships between co­ops were easily realized. They multiplied and soon turned to regional alliances, which snowballed into national networks.
  • Inspired by the Mondragon cooperative network, the Valley Alliance of Worker Cooperatives (VAWC) came together in Western Massachusetts in 2005. The group first met at the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives Eastern Conference on Workplace Democracy, and they are a direct result of national networks crystallizing at the regional level. What sets VAWC apart is a strategy of co­op-led development. The organization helps start­up or transitioning co­ops get their footing; they provide technical assistance to their membership in the form of skill­sharing and professional guidance.
  • VAWC recently launched an inter­cooperative loan fund. Through the fund, members tithe 5% of profits to help one another and to invest in new co­op ventures.
  • information and resources according to the membership’s needs, such as meeting facilitation, or research into health plans
  • VAWC enjoys an exceptionally cooperative cultural context in the Pioneer Valley, where there is a strong desire for economic democracy, and a history of collective management.
  • As many look for ways out of the capitalist morass of boom­-bust cycles, worker cooperatives have taken center stage. Cooperatives are democratic enterprises where both ownership and decision­-making power are democratically shared. As a result, they keep money and power in the hands of the community.
  • A stunningly large network—nearly one out of every five U.S. worker co­ops are part of NoBAWC —most member co­ops are in Oakland, San Francisco, and Berkeley. Like other membership organizations, NoBAWC grew out of a need to collaborate and share best practices amongst like­-minded organizations.
  • The members now share resources and incentivize collaboration by offering each other reduced rates on their goods and services.
  • As the first and primary national hub, the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC) brings together the full array of players within this movement. After many years of organizing, they were incorporated in 2004 to provide support to their membership, as well as educational outreach to the public. A small organization with a two­-person staff, USFWC’s extensive work to promote cooperation puts them in the center of a dynamic movement.
  • regular conferences and events
  • A similarly rich cooperative culture exists across the country, in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives, or NoBAWC (pronounced "no boss"), is a hub for the region, literally centralized within 30 minutes of each member organization.
  • USFWC capably handles a membership representing over 1,300 workers
  • the Democracy At Work Network (DAWN), a peer adviser system
  • The co­op movement is gaining steam, drawing from new energies and a renewed interest in the model. All movements have these periods of acceleration, times when opportunity comes knocking at every turn. Typically, such are the times when reflection is most needed, because new dynamics can dramatically change the situation.
  • David Morgan is a worker-owner at the Toolbox for Education and Social Action, a worker-owned cooperative created to democratize education and the economy while furthering the cooperative movement. The Toolbox designs curriculum and next-generation resources for learning, such as Co-opoly: The Game of Cooperatives."
Jukka Peltokoski

Osuustoiminnalla voidaan luoda yhteistä vaurautta tulevaisuudessa | Taloussan... - 0 views

www.taloussanomat.fi/...12

osuuskunta-keissi osuuskuntaopas commons.fi

shared by Jukka Peltokoski on 02 Aug 12 - No Cached
  • Jukka Peltokoski on 02 Aug 12
     
    Tapani Köpän mukaan Suomessa osuustoiminnallinen ajattelu on painunut marginaaleihin. Pertti Linkola kirjoitti viime viikon sunnuntaina Helsingin Sanomien mielipidepalstalla. Pertti Linkolan mukaan Suomessa voitaisiin ottaa mallia Tanskasta, jossa tuulivoimaa on rakennettu osuustoimintaperiaatteella. Energiatuotannon lisäksi laajaa hyvinvointia tuottavaa osuuskuntatoimintaa voitaisiin nähdä hyvinvointisektorilla. Tampereen seudun osuustoimintakeskuksen toiminnanjohtaja Immonen näkee, että osuuskunnat toimisivat julkisia palveluita täydentävänä toimijoina. Hänen mielestään suomalaisen hyvinvointivaltion palvelutuotanto ei jatkossa taivu niin monimuotoiseen tarjontaan kuin olisi kysyntää. Kauhukuva on, että hoivapalvelun tuottaminen on globaalin pääomasijoittajan käsissä. Siellä ei tiedetä, minkälaisia palveluita paikallisesti tarvitaan. Palvelujen tuottaminen on bisnestä, jossa pyritään voiton maksimointiin. Silloin palvelun laatu ja taso eivät ole sitä, mitä ne voisivat olla, Niina Immonen sanoo. Osuuskunta on myös oiva muoto yhteiskunnalliseen yrittämiseen, joka tähtää yhteiskunnallisten ja ympäristöongelmien ratkaisemiseen liiketoiminnan keinoin.
1 - 5 of 5
Showing 20▼ items per page