Intro

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Bring It Home, Max

Outro

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

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

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.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "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: <a href="https://www.expertmarket.com/uk/crm-systems/the-ultimate-guide-to-work-place-productivity">The Most Productive Countries in 2024</a>
USDA: <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2022/10/24/more-just-co-op-how-cooperatives-strengthen-economic-power">More than just a co-op: How Cooperatives Strengthen Economic Power</a>
<a href="https://ncfc.org/">National Council of Farmer Cooperatives</a>
EOS Data Analytics: <a href="https://eos.com/cooperative/">Agricultural Cooperatives: Find The Top Co-Ops In The US</a>
Ocean Spray: <a href="https://www.oceanspray.com/about-us">About Us</a>
<a href="https://www.landolakesinc.com/">Land O’Lakes Inc.</a>
NCBA CLUSA: <a href="https://ncbaclusa.coop/resources/co-op-sectors/healthcare-co-ops/">Healthcare Co-ops</a>
<a href="https://ncua.gov/files/publications/analysis/quarterly-data-summary-2024-Q1.pdf">NCUA Quarterly Credit Union Data Summary 2024 Q1</a>
U.S. Small Business Administration: Office of Advocacy: <a href="https://advocacy.sba.gov/2023/03/07/frequently-asked-questions-about-small-business-2023/">Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business, 2023</a>
Co-op News: <a href="https://www.thenews.coop/worker-co-op-sector-continues-to-grow-in-the-usa/">Worker co-op sector continues to grow in the USA</a>
Co-opLaw.org: <a href="https://www.co-oplaw.org/knowledge-base/patronage/">Subchapter T and How Money Flows Through a Cooperative</a>
H.R.7721 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7721">National Worker Cooperative Development and Support Act</a>
The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/nyregion/park-slope-food-coop-joe-holtz.html">Founder of the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn to Retire After 50 Years</a>
Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bank-transfer/personal-finance-bank-transfer-day-saw-600000-switch-idUSTRE80Q1TU20120127/">Personal Finance: Bank Transfer Day saw 600,000 switch</a>
Bob’s Red Mill: <a href="https://www.bobsredmill.com/employee-owned">Proudly Employee Owned</a>
<a href="https://institute.coop/">Democracy at Work Institute</a>
Democracy at Work (d@w): <a href="https://www.democracyatwork.info/about_co_ops">About Co-ops</a>
<a href="https://www.mondragon-corporation.com/en/">MONDRAGON Corporation</a>
U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utpSESPBy3c">Sen. Bernie Sander’s Address at The Worker Co-op Conference</a>
U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives: <a href="https://www.usworker.coop/member-directory/">Member Directory</a>
The New Yorker: <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/how-mondragon-became-the-worlds-largest-co-op">How Mondragon Became the World’s Largest Co-Op</a>
UN: <a href="https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/2014/coopsegm/grace.pdf">Measuring the Size and Scope of the Cooperative Economy: Results of the 2014 Global Census on Co-operatives</a>
--
If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://unftr.com/rate">unftr.com/rate</a> and follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Unfucking-The-Republic-102319714930389">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/unftrpod">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unftrpod/">Instagram</a> at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/">unftr.com</a>.
Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at <a href="https://shop.unftr.com/">shop.unftr.com</a>.
Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at <a href="https://unftr.substack.com/">unftr.substack.com</a> to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.
Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PpzNXBub9FLngMradJByC?si=abaed3d396504fae">spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.</a>
Visit our bookshop.org page at <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod">bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod</a> to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at<a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations"> bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations</a>.
Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/accessibility">unftr.com/accessibility</a>.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (<a href="https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com">mannyfacesmedia.com</a>). Original music is by Tom McGovern (<a href="http://www.tommcgovern.com/">tommcgovern.com</a>). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 

Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 

As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 

Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 
Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 
As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 
Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

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