Unions and cooperatives are part of one big movement but we don’t always know it. That’s why Research|Action has been working with the Union Cooperatives Council and other groups over the past few years to help educate the labor movement and cooperative world about how we can work better together.
In Madison, WI, that meant the local federation of labor backed a new municipal project to train and support worker cooperatives. In Denver, it means a major taxi cooperative is a “union coop” — a member of Communication Workers of America. Unions can play a supportive role in converting existing businesses to worker cooperatives, as SEIU is actively doing in NYC. More workers in food cooperatives, which are generally only owned by their shoppers, are organizing unions, as in Bloomington, Indiana or western Massachusetts. In the past, unions used their pension funds to invest in cooperative housing.
Research|Action crafted a pamphlet for the Union Cooperative Council to use in education two years ago but a lot has changed and grown in the movement. So we updated our brochure this fall.
To increase worker power and build a better world, these movements need each other! Feel free to contact us for more information.