Un-Cooperative: Why Worker Co-Ops Don’t Work in America.

Unf*cking The Republic

Worker cooperatives are often viewed as part of the solution to beating back capitalism. Yet there are more than 33 million small businesses in the U.S. and less than a thousand worker co-operatives. This week’s episode looks at the different co-op models and the barriers to the growth and success of worker cooperatives in the U.S. as opposed to Europe. We take a look at iconic cooperatives such as the Mondragon Corporation in Spain to the Park Slope Food Co-Op in Brooklyn, NY and explain how everyone can easily support worker co-ops this election day.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:03

Chapter One: Doing the Work. 00:03:52

Chapter Two: Mondragon. 00:11:27

Chapter Three: Cooperatives Models. 00:19:18

Chapter Four: The Food Dude Retires. 00:27:54

Chapter Five: Barriers and Clues. 00:31:20

Bring it home, Max. 00:35:31

Outro: 00:39:29

Resources

Expert Market: The Most Productive Countries in 2024

USDA: More than just a co-op: How Cooperatives Strengthen Economic Power

National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

EOS Data Analytics: Agricultural Cooperatives: Find The Top Co-Ops In The US

Ocean Spray: About Us

Land O’Lakes Inc.

NCBA CLUSA: Healthcare Co-ops

NCUA Quarterly Credit Union Data Summary 2024 Q1

U.S. Small Business Administration: Office of Advocacy: Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business, 2023

Co-op News: Worker co-op sector continues to grow in the USA

Co-opLaw.org: Subchapter T and How Money Flows Through a Cooperative

H.R.7721 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): National Worker Cooperative Development and Support Act

The New York Times: Founder of the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn to Retire After 50 Years

Reuters: Personal Finance: Bank Transfer Day saw 600,000 switch

Bob’s Red Mill: Proudly Employee Owned

Democracy at Work Institute

Democracy at Work (d@w): About Co-ops

MONDRAGON Corporation

U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives: Sen. Bernie Sander’s Address at The Worker Co-op Conference

U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives: Member Directory

The New Yorker: How Mondragon Became the World’s Largest Co-Op

UN: Measuring the Size and Scope of the Cooperative Economy: Results of the 2014 Global Census on Co-operatives

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Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

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Bab

1. Un-Cooperative: Why Worker Co-Ops Don’t Work in America. (00:00:00)

2. Intro (00:00:03)

3. Chapter One (00:03:52)

4. Chapter Two (00:11:27)

5. Chapter Three (00:19:18)

6. Chapter Four (00:27:54)

7. Chapter Five (00:31:20)

8. Bring It Home, Max (00:35:31)

9. Outro (00:39:29)