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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