Federal lobbying in support of worker co-op development and expansion has been a very important part of the work of the CWCF. A new CWCF report gives a history from 1991 to 2014 of lobbying activities and provides current priorities.
Calling all Attendees of Quebec Summit
CWCF asks that any CWCF members attending the Quebec Summit let Hazel Corcoran know, re: the International Worker Co-op Gathering. (4th and 5th articles, below)
November 6 - 8, 2014, with optional events in the evening of November 5th
Old Orchard Inn
Conference presenters that we have confirmed include JOSE ORBAICETA, President of the Worker Co-op Federation of Argentina; KAREN MINER, Managing Director of Saint Mary's University's Co-operative Management Education program; and RYSZARD STOCKI, lead developer of the Worker Co-op Index, from Poland.
We are very pleased to announce the 2014 CWCF Award winners. The winner of the Worker Co-op Merit Award is Kevin Thomson (posthumously). Kevin was a second generation founder of La Siembra Co-op in Ottawa, and a fair trade and co-operative pioneer. Following his untimely death in March 2014, the CWCF Board has chosen to recognize the legacy that he leaves. The winner of the Worker Co-op Best Practices Award is Careforce Homecare, for their Co-op Member Orientation Program. Careforce will present at the Conference about this innovative program, which they offer to all prospective members.
Early-bird registration is valid until Sept. 12, 2014, and there are deep discounts for members of CWCF and CoopZone. Worker co-op members of CWCF are eligible for a travel subsidy (one-half of the plane fare for one person per co-op) to attend the Conference, for which you can apply through the registration process.
CWCF Lobbying Efforts on behalf of Worker Co-op Interests
Federal lobbying in support of worker co-op development and expansion has been a very important part of the work of the CWCF. CWCF has recently written a report on the federal lobbying work done on behalf of worker co-ops and worker co-op development over time, as well as its current lobby priorities. Over the years, CWCF's government relations efforts have resulted in the availability of the Tenacity Works Fund (investments of $15,000 to $50,000 are available from CWCF to qualifying worker co-ops), clear rules around Employment Insurance for worker co-ops, and ability to place RRSP-eligible investments in co-ops. The RRSP lobbying effort was carried out in conjunction with the Forestry Co-op Federation of Quebec. Unfortunately, only larger co-ops are now eligible for the RRSP program due to restrictive new rules enacted in 2011. CWCF also contributed significantly to the co-op sector lobby to obtain the Co-operative Development Initiative, which was in place from 2003 until 2012.
The current federal lobbying priorities of CWCF are:
1) that the federal government invest in the CMC-led National Co-operative Investment Fund;
2) that the restrictive changes to the RRSP rules from 2011 be reversed, and
3) that a program for support to business successions to worker co-ops be created.
If you have comments on these priorities, and what is most needed from government to help grow the worker co-op sector, please send your input to Hazel Corcoran, hazel@canadianworker.coop. Note that CWCF has worked in collaboration with CCA and CCCM in the past on many of these issues, and will continue to work in conjunction with the broader co-op sector, specifically with Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada's Government Affairs Committee. You can read the full report here.
Converting Existing Businesses to Worker Cooperatives
Here is an interesting interview with Melissa Hoover, Executive Director of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, about converting an existing business into a Worker Co-operative. Click here to read this article.
CWCF is presenting a workshop on succession planning through conversion to a worker co-operative on November 5th in conjunction with our 2014 Conference in Wolfville, NS. For more information about the the conference, click here.Although this session is largely targeted to local businesses, anyone is welcome to attend. You can register for the conference here.
Also on this topic, at the People's Social Forum in Ottawa being held from August 21st to 24th,
there will be a workshop on Worker Co-ops For Ownership Transfer, in part focused on collaboration with trade unions. Presenters will be Maude Brossard of the Quebec Social Economy Chantier or "Network",Mark Goldblatt (past president of CWCF), and Micha�l B�land (Co-op Development Manager, CMC). It is taking place on August 22nd at 10:45 am, at the University of Ottawa, room 207 in the Montpetit Building. You can read more about the People's Social Forum including the program, here.
International Gathering of Worker Co-ops 2014,
Hosted by CWCF & the Quebec R�seau
Monday, October 6, 2014, 12:30 to 4:00 pm, day prior to the International Summit of Cooperatives
Quebec City Convention Centre
12:30 to 2:00 p.m.: Lunch
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Forum "Exchange of Worker Co-op Best Practices"
In conjunction with the International Summit of Cooperatives 2014, the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation ("CWCF") and Quebec Worker Co-op Network ("R�seau") are hosting a Gathering for worker co-operators from around the world on Worker Co-op Best Practices. This will take place in the afternoon of October 6th, just prior to the Summit Opening Ceremony.
CWCF and the R�seau extend an invitation to worker co-operators to participate in this Gathering, for which you will need to register separately from the Summit registration. There is no charge for members of CWCF or other worker co-op federations.
We will discuss various successful worker co-op strategies, for example governance, approaches to better integrate new members, inter-cooperative business partnerships, and business succession to worker co-operatives. If you would like to propose presenting a best practice, please write to CWCF Executive Director Hazel Corcoran, hazel@canadianworker.coop, by September 6th, 2014, or as soon as possible.
Worker co-operatives and multi-stakeholder co-operatives from North America, Latin America, Europe and possibly beyond are expected. This is a unique opportunity allowing co-operators from different parts of the world to meet and exchange ideas.
This Gathering will be preceded in the morning by the Annual General Meeting of the Quebec R�seau, open to R�seau members only. The Summit Opening Ceremony takes place that evening.
Registration fee:
Members of Worker Co-op Federations: Free
(R�seau, CWCF, FQCF, FCPQ, CG-SCOP, etc.)
Non-members: $ 50 / person (tax included).
Lunch is included in the event registration.
Participants will provide consecutive interpretation, French-English-Spanish.
14h00 � 16h00 : Forum � �change sur les bons coups COOP �
Conjointement avec le Sommet international des coop�ratives, la F�d�ration canadienne des coop�ratives de travail et le R�seau de la coop�ration du travail du Qu�bec invitent les membres des coop�ratives en milieu de travail � participer � une rencontre d'�change sur les bons coups COOP. Ce Rendezvous aura lieu pendant l'apr�s-midi avant la C�r�monie d'ouverture du Sommet. Il faudra s'inscrire s�par�ment de l'inscription au Sommet. C'est gratuit pour les membres de la FCCT, le R�seau et d'autres f�d�rations de coop�ratives de travail.
Nous discuterons de bonnes pratiques: gouvernance, strat�gies pour mieux int�grer les nouveaux membres, partenariats d'affaires inter coop�ratifs et processus de rel�ve. Si vous voulez proposer une pratique que vous aimeriez pr�senter, s'il vous pla�t �crivez � Hazel Corcoran, hazel@canadianworker.coop, par le 6 septembre 2014 ou aussit�t que possible.
Des coop�ratives de travail et de solidarit� d'Am�rique du Nord, d'Am�rique Latine, d'Europe et possiblement d'ailleurs sont attendues. Il s'agit d'une occasion unique permettant � des coop�rateurs de diff�rentes r�gions du monde de se rencontrer et d'�changer.
Ce Rendez-vous sera pr�c�d� en matin�e par l'Assembl�e g�n�rale du R�seau de la coop�ration du travail du Qu�bec (r�serv� aux membres du R�seau). L'ouverture officielle du Sommet suivra dans la soir�e du 6 octobre.
Tarif :
Membres des F�d�rations de coop�ratives de travail partenaires : Gratuit
(R�SEAU, FCCT, FQCF, FCPQ, CG-SCOP, etc.)
Non membres : 50 $ (tx incluse) / personne
(Inclus le repas du midi).
Des participants assureront l'interpr�tation cons�cutive fran�ais - anglais- espagnol.
At the 2014 International Constitutional Convention, a resolution supporting worker ownership and union co-ops as well as the work of CWCF and USFWC was passed unanimously. The full text of the resolution can be found on the USW website here. This is part of the collaboration between the Steelworkers & Mondragon to support unionized worker co-ops in North America.
November 14-15, 2014 Holiday Inn & Suites, Red Deer South
ACCA has recently released the agenda and speaker line up for this year's Gathering in Red Deer!
With themes surrounding co-operative identity and principle six: co-operation among co-operatives, this year's Gathering of Alberta Co-operatives promises to enrich everyone who attends. Early bird registration is just $250 +GST.
On Co-op has gone regional! To continue building on the momentum and the success we have had over the past two years with our Regional Co-op Conferences and Roundtables, we are doubling our efforts to engage more individuals and organizations in these unique learning and networking opportunities. More importantly, instead of you going to one provincial Conference, we will be coming to you...
We will be going across Ontario with a series of 6 Conferences and 30 Roundtables, with the primary objectives of fostering local co-op clusters/networks, community collaboration, capacity-building and co-op development. In other words, strengthening awareness among co-operatives and building the movement! Six regional co-op development managers have been hired to support this initiative.
Participants will gain valuable tools anchored in real-world examples, from experienced and passionate leaders in their respective fields and organizations. Workshops are tailored to reflect the economic climate and unique requirements of each region, while enabling individuals to share information and best practices that can help their co-ops grow. They will also identify possible opportunities for creating and collaborating on local and regional co-op initiatives, which they can develop independently of On Co-op.
Building on our first regional conferences held during the International Year of Co-operatives in 2012, this is a chance for co-operators to get together and share tips, learn best practices from local and provincial examples, build a support network, and increase the visibility of the movement in their region.
Adopting the Co-op Logo and Domain Gives Greater Visibility to Co-ops
Adapted from from On Co-op News VOLUME 11, ISSUE 5 July 11, 2014
At the very core of our co-operative model and philosophy lies our identity. And what simpler and better way to promote our identity, than by adopting the new co-op logo and dot coop Internet domain?
A global co-operative identity aligns all co-ops - and distinguishes us from other forms of business. As symbols of our movement, they demonstrate our unity, strength and our purpose, while giving your co-op greater visibility. The co-op logo can be added to your existing brochures or products, and the dot coop domain can still drive all your Internet traffic to your existing website.
To date, more than 580 co-ops in 68 countries use the logo - including 50 organizations in Canada - and there are over 6000 "dot coop" registrations in 74 countries. The ICA's goal? To become one of the best-known ethical logos in the world by 2020, with users in 100 countries.
The ICA believes that the greater visibility there is for the co-operative model, the more aware people will be of what they are choosing when faced with the option between a product or service from a co-operative, an investor, or a privately-owned business.
CWCF shares this belief, and in our effort to build the co-operative message and secure the co-operative identity - one of the key pillars of the ICA's Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade - we encourage co-operatives to register and use the "dot coop" Internet domain, if they haven't already done so. Visit www.identity.coopto learn more and to register now!
This article was featured in "In the Times" on August 18, 2014
In 2006, Daniela Salazar, then a 22-year-old mother of two, was making about $7.25 an hour doing restaurant work and housecleaning. For three hours every month, she also stood on the street in Brooklyn with 12 other women passing out flyers, rain or shine (and sometimes snow).
They were promoting a cleaning company of a new kind: one that would not only provide them with jobs and more money to support their families, but would also make them business owners.
That company was a worker cooperative called Sí Se Puede-"Yes, We Can" in Spanish. The women started the co-op with the help of the SCO Family of Services' Center for Family Life, a social-service agency and advocacy group for families. They marketed their business in this low-tech way for months, slowly building up a clientele until they could afford a website.
Eight years later, Sí Se Puede has 64 member-owners. It grossed over a million dollars in 2013. The worker co-op may soon have another source of income: a line of cleaning products. Salazar's pay at Sí Se Puede has climbed to $20 to $23 an hour, letting her work fewer hours a week and spend more time with her family, which has grown to include three children.
Back when she was leafleting on corners, Salazar never imagined that the business would enjoy such success. Click here to read the full story.
How to Generate and Nurture a Strong Co-operative Culture
Talking about governance problems at the Co-operative Group, our friend and fellow co-operator Sion Whellens, of worker co-operative Calverts Design & Print, said "co-operative culture eats co-operative governance for breakfast!"
This got us thinking - is there too much emphasis on governance and not enough on the co-operative culture that supports it? At Co-operantics, we help other co-ops to focus on using co-operative skills effectively, so we were keen to find out.
We set out to explore how co-ops develop and maintain a strong co-operative culture by speaking to seven very different co-operatives. We found a range of approaches, differing according to member relationship and size of co-op.
Clearly the challenges facing a large consumer co-operative, with members meetings at most quarterly and communications between meetings restricted to the odd newsletter are different to those of a small worker co-op, where people spend all day together. Perhaps this is why the issue of co-operative culture is such a live one in worker co-op circles, since they have to make it work to survive.
These four stories as well as the three in the next segment are the testimony of worker-owners delivered this past February at a hearing convened by a New York City Council committee. This hearing was part of the submissions which helped to persuade the New York City Council to grant $1.2 million for worker co-op development. Here, four NYC worker-owners talk co-ops, family, and jobs with justice.
1. Building a Just Economy Based on Trust and Care
As a worker owner of Apple Eco Cleaning, I am able to provide to my family. The cooperative provides me job stability, which was impossible to have when looking for work at the street corner. Now, I can support my daughter's dream to become a mechanical engineer with a salary of 25 dollars per hour, which was hard to do before with a salary of 10 dollars per hour.
2. Fighting Wage Theft
Greetings, my name is Claudia Leon, I'm a member of Make the Road New York and a co-owner of Pa'Lante Green Cleaning Coop, a cooperative that offers cleaning services formed by workers like me, [who] had been victims of wage theft and workplace abuse.
3. Co-ops Care About Family Life
...I would say that to be part of a cooperative is not easy and you need a lot of patience and dedication. But all the effort you put in this, it will take you to a better lifestyle and most importantly it will give you enough time to spend with your children and raise them to [become] a good citizen of this country.
4. Co-ops Provide Personal Development We were always working to try to give a better life to my children. In 2008 I had the opportunity to begin working with the cooperative, Beyond Care. My life changed completely. So now I am professional and economical....The Coop [began] with 25 members. Today we have 40 members. And we continue to grow, giving more and more opportunities to work to others in our community. I have gone from earning 10 dollars or less per hour before the cooperative to earning 16 dollars an hour. This city should consider cooperatives whenever possible. We are training and have experience. We care about our work.
Ginger Moon is a mother-owned cooperative. As food doulas, we "mother the mother" by providing her revitalizing and healing foods during pregnancy, childbirth and nursing. After many discussions about how we could create a resource for busy mothers like us, we realized that knowing what to eat and knowing the kinds of support we need during pregnancy, after giving birth and while nursing, is essential and was a gap in society. We believe that what we eat determines our physical and emotional wellbeing. We envision a world where every new mother will have the knowledge and support to nourish herself and her family.
2. A Life Changing Co-op
Good Morning, my name is Margarita Ruiz and I am a member of the Beyond Care Cooperative. ... The Center and the cooperative have given me the opportunity to grow as a person and gain valuable skills that help me at my job as a babysitter. I am able to spend more time with my family and have a reasonable salary. My rights as a worker are respected and the working conditions of my environment are much better. I think I speak for all the coop members in Beyond Care when I say that this coop has changed the lives of the 33 members, 18 founding members including myself and the other 15 members of later generations. Our working conditions are much better than before.
3. More than Poverty Alleviation
Good morning. My name is Ana del Rocio Valderrama. I co-founded the Caracol Interpreters Cooperative in 2011 when I was on food stamps and expecting my first child.
With the support of the Coop Academy run by Green Worker Cooperatives, our team of worker-owners has been very successful in providing translation and interpretation services to organizations with multilingual bases. In the three years since our launch, we achieved a 150% increase in the hourly fee paid to our interpreters. We have grown our team of interpreters by 25%, as we work diligently to meet the high demand for our services.
How a very old economic model could help the new economy. By Sean McElwee
In 1921, the Olympia Veneer Company became the first worker-owned cooperative to produce plywood. By the early 1950s, nearly all of the plywood produced in the United States was manufactured by worker-owned cooperatives. Today, however, worker-owned cooperatives seem few and far between. Say "co-op" and most people think of Park Slope foodies or strictly guarded apartment buildings. Worker ownership may seem a relic of the past, but it could actually play a significant role in reviving the union movement, bolstering the green economy, and stemming the tide of deindustrialization. Read more...
Worker Co-op Development News from CICOPA
Italian government launches the reform of the third sector: Important role assigned to social cooperatives
Best result in 6 years for the creation of worker cooperatives in France
Worker cooperation development in Belgium
Spain: 32% more worker cooperatives created than last year
Javier Salaberr�a, former CICOPA President has passed away
Le fran�ais suit.
Javier Salaberr�a, CICOPA President from 2005 until 2011, sadly passed away on Saturday 26th July and we received this news with great sorrow. Javier will remain a fundamental figure in the memories of all those who worked alongside him, as well as in the history of CICOPA and the worker cooperative movement.
Javier's election as CICOPA President in 2005 was a decisive event for our organisation. Before then, CICOPA was still effectively an embryonic organisation. He was the first President of CICOPA, which had just become a stable organisation, therefore he has been a real pioneer, making a political mark on CICOPA. He equally assured coherence in the statutes between CICOPA and the new bodies created (notably CICOPA Americas, CICOPA North Americas and CICOPA Mercosur), and with the existing regional organisation (overseeing statutory modifications in CECOP-CICOPA Europe in 2006). Between 2007 and 2009, he represented the global sectoral cooperative organisations to the Board of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and his contribution was fundamental, particularly during the final negotiation concerning the status of sectoral organisations within the ICA in June 2008.
A graduate of Law, he developed his entire professional career in cooperative enterprises. He participated in the drafting committee for the Bill of law 4/1993 on Basque Cooperatives. Javier was President of Fagor Electrodom�sticos (electrical applicances), Vice-President of the Fagor group within the Mondragon group, and President of Konfekoop, (Confederation of Basque Cooperatives). He had a long career and considerable experience in institutional representation. To name just a few among his many attributes he was an Advisor to the Federation of Basque Worker Cooperatives (currently ERKIDE), of CEPES (the Spanish Enterprise Confederation of Social Economy), CCACE (on the basis of which Cooperatives Europe was eventually established), and CEP-CMAF (currently Social Economy Europe).
We in the CICOPA team will remember the overflowing energy that Javier deployed as well as his inner sense of cooperation, his legendary good mood and his love of life; a cooperator, a singer and a very humane President. Working with him has been extremely inspirational.
--The above article is reprinted from CICOPA News. CWCF had the honour of welcoming Javier Salaberr�a as keynote speaker at our 2006 Conference. CWCF, too, was greatly inspired by his knowledge which he shared tirelessly, and his passion for co-operation, worker control and democracy. Our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
Le fran�ais:
Javier Salaberr�a, ancien pr�sident de CICOPA, est d�c�d�.
Javier Salaberr�a, pr�sident de CICOPA entre 2005 et 2011, est d�c�d� ce samedi 26 juillet. C'est avec une grande peine que nous avons re�u cette triste nouvelle. Javier restera un personnage fondamental dans la m�moire de tous ceux qui ont travaill� � ses c�t�s, ainsi que dans l'histoire de CICOPA et du mouvement des coop�ratives de travail associ�.
L'�lection de Javier � la pr�sidence de CICOPA en 2005 a �t� un �v�nement d�cisif pour notre organisation. En effet, avant 2005, CICOPA �tait encore une organisation embryonnaire. Il a �t� le premier pr�sident d'un CICOPA devenu une organisation stable, et a donc �t� un vrai pionnier, marquant CICOPA politiquement. Il a �galement assur� la coh�rence statutaire entre CICOPA et ses organes naissants (notamment en 2011 avec CICOPA Am�riques, CICOPA Am�rique du Nord et CICOPA Mercosur) et de ceux existant d�j� (avec les modifications statutaires de CECOP CICOPA-Europe en 2006). Entre 2007 et 2009, il a repr�sent� les organisations coop�ratives sectorielles mondiales au Board de l'ACI et sa contribution y a �t� fondamentale, surtout lors de la n�gociation finale en juin 2008 concernant le statut des organisations sectorielles au sein de l'Alliance Coop�rative Internationale.
Licenci� en droit, il a consacr� toute sa vie � l'entreprise coop�rative. Il a particip� � la Commission de r�daction du pr�-projet de loi 4/1993, des coop�ratives du Pays Basque. Il a �t� Pr�sident de Fagor Electrodom�sticos, vice Pr�sident du Groupe Fagor au sein du Groupe Mondragon, et a �t� pr�sident de KONFEKOOP (Conf�d�ration des Coop�ratives du Pays Basque). Sa trajectoire et exp�rience dans des positions institutionnelles et repr�sentatives a �t� tr�s importante. Il a �t� membre du Conseil d'administration de la F�d�ration des Coop�ratives de Travail Associ� du Pays Basque (actuellement ERKIDE), de CEPES (Conf�d�ration Entrepreneuriale Espagnole de l'Economie Sociale), du CCACE (sur la base duquel a ensuite �t� cr��e Cooperatives Europe) et de la CEP-CMAF (actuellement Social Economy Europe).
Nous, �quipe de CICOPA retiendrons de Javier sa force et l'�nergie d�bordante qu'il d�ployait ainsi que son sens inn� du coop�ratisme, sa l�gendaire bonne humeur et sa joie de vivre. Un coop�rateur, un chanteur, un pr�sident tr�s humain. Travailler avec lui a �t� extr�mement enthousiasmant.
--Cet article a d'abord paru dans les Nouvelles de CICOPA. La FCCT a eu l'honneur d'accueillir Javier Salaberr�a comme conf�rencier cl� � notre Congr�s de 2006. La FCCT a �galement trouv� Javier tr�s enthousiasmant, avec ses connaissances profondes qu'il partageaient inlassablement, et sa passion pour la coop�ration, le contr�le par les travailleurs, et la d�mocratie. Nos condol�ances � sa famille, ses amis et ses coll�gues.
Markets Without Capitalism
A Plan for Transition by Brian D'Agostino and Olivier Mathey
France's new Social and Solidarity Economy Law, which supports recognition and development of the social and solidarity economy, was adopted on July 21. It represents an historic step forward especially for retail cooperatives. Learn more...
Une �volution historique pour les coop�ratives de commer�ants
La loi portant reconnaissance et d�veloppement de l'�conomie sociale et solidaire, adopt�e en France le 21 juillet, repr�sente une �volution majeure pour les coop�ratives de commer�ants. En savoir plus...
The Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation (CWCF) is a national, bilingual grassroots membership organization of and for worker co-operatives, related types of co-operatives (multi-stakeholder co-ops and worker-shareholder co-ops), and organizations that support the growth and development of worker cooperatives. CWCF's e-newsletter is available free of charge to anyone with an e-mail address and an interest in worker co-operative developments in Canada.
Greetings, my name is Claudia Leon, I'm a member of Make the Road New York and a co-owner of Pa'Lante Green Cleaning Coop, a cooperative that offers cleaning services formed by workers like me, [who] had been victims of wage theft and workplace abuse.
by providing her revitalizing and healing foods during pregnancy, childbirth and nursing. After many discussions about how we could create a resource for busy mothers like us, we realized that knowing what to eat and knowing the kinds of support we need during pregnancy, after giving birth and while nursing, is essential and was a gap in society. We believe that what we eat determines our physical and emotional wellbeing. We envision a world where every new mother will have the knowledge and support to nourish herself and her family. 
Good Morning, my name is Margarita Ruiz and I am a member of the 
Good morning. My name is Ana del Rocio Valderrama. I co-founded the 
