All Things Co-op's podcast

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin, Larry, and Cinar discuss the artificial intelligence renaissance going on today and its implications for a cooperative future. Artificial intelligence seems to be here to stay and we have to figure out how to engage with it. The ATC guys focus mainly on the issues of values and alignment, questioning if we should instill our essential human values of fairness and democracy in AI or simply let it run free? Under capitalism, however, the values we actually uphold as a society are not rooted in democracy and kindness. What are the consequences of AI being developed in a hyper-capitalist culture and what are the possibilities for its use in a possible post-capitalist cooperative future? **All Things Co-op is a @democracyatwrk  production. We make it a point to provide the show free of ads. Please consider supporting our work. 

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry, Kevin, and Cinar discuss the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, financial markets, self-regulation and the role of capitalist ideology in modern banking, the effect on real people of bank collapses, and more. **All Things Co-op is a  @democracyatwrk  production. We make it a point to provide the show free of ads. Please consider supporting our work. 

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry, Cinar, and Kevin talk to Marcelo Netto, a Brazilian journalist and activist with the Landless Workers Movement in Brazil. They discuss Lula 3, the third term for Brazil's president Lula De Silva, the history of Brazil's development and the unique working class make up, the landless workers movement and their relationship with Lula, the impacts of the Bolsonaro presidency, and more. About our guest: Marcelo Netto is a journalist with a Master's degree in Social Sciences. In the early 2000s, he resigned from the newspaper Folha de São Paulo and interrupted his studies at the University of São Paulo to live in camps with families of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST). He studies the relationship between Liberation Theology and global anti-capitalist movements and is currently the Head of Communications for Public Services International, a Global Union Federation of more than 700 trade unions representing 30 million workers in 154 countries. To learn more about the Landless Workers Movement: https://mst.org.br/  Support All Things Co-op on Patreon!

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin and Cinar speak with sociologist, political scientist, author and documentary filmmaker Dario Azzellini. They discuss recuperated workplaces—workplaces that have been abandoned by private capitalist owners and taken over by workers and reorganized to be democratically controlled—and why the process of engaging in struggle with fellow workers builds an enduring ecosystem of trust. They also explore critiques of the Mondragon corporation, why co-ops should be rooted in community and social movements, the dangers of co-op owners identifying as entrepreneurs, the long history of worker struggles around the world, and more. About our guest: Dario Azzellini is a professor and researcher in the Department of Development Studies (Unidad Académica en Estudios del Desarrollo) at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas (Zacatecas, Mexico) and visiting scholar at the ILR School at Cornell University (Ithaca, USA). His primary research interests are labour studies, local and workers' self-management, and social movements and protest. He has more than 160 academic publications, among them more than 20 books, 11 films, and more than 100 journal articles and book chapters, many of which have been translated into a variety of languages. Together with Oliver Ressler he produced Occupy, Resist, Produce, a series of documentaries on recuperated factories under workers control in Europe. To learn more: www.azzellini.net; https://www.versobooks.com/books/1433-they-can-t-represent-us; https://www.azzellini.net/en/english 

The hosts of our podcast All Things Co-op, Kevin, Larry and Cinar answer questions from a live audience.  This event originally aired on Friday, January 27, 2023 at 1pm ET. 

Please join us for a LIVE Q&A with the hosts of the All Things Co-op podcast on Friday, January 27! Learn more and RSVP: https://www.democracyatwork.info/ask_live_all_things_co_op In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin talks to movement lawyer and Clinical Law Professor Julian Hill. Julian's research and teaching focuses on how law can be used as a tool to support the solidarity economy and social movements. Kevin and Julian discuss Julian's background and how they got involved in cooperatives and the solidarity economy, what a movement lawyer is, the many contradictions of laws and lawyering, what the solidarity economy needs in order to grow, some resources around co-ops and movement lawyering for interested listeners to explore, and more. About our guest: Julian Hill is currently an assistant professor at Georgia State University College of Law, but they're also a lifelong learner, community organizer, artist, and attorney. Julian joined Georgia State after completing a two-year fellowship as a Clinical Teaching Fellow and Supervising Attorney with the Social Enterprise and Nonprofit Law Clinic at Georgetown University Law Center. They have also partnered with community-based organizations to co-facilitate political education and co-develop policies and campaigns, facilitating workshops, both in English and Spanish, on worker cooperatives and the solidarity economy with Law 4 Black Lives, the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, Democracy at Work Institute, and the New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives, among others. To learn more: https://law.gsu.edu/profile/julian-m-hill/ To learn more about the Solidarity Economy Graphic: https://designforsustainability.medium.com/thriving-communities-the-solidarity-economy-464ef874f51f

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin speaks with Paul Hazen, executive director of the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council (OCDC) and Cooperative Development Foundation hall of fame inductee. Drawing on a lifetime of cooperative development work, Paul shares his insights on the importance of cooperatives in rural communities, how he helped his church start the Community Purchasing Alliance Cooperative, how to achieve bipartisan support for co-ops in congress, national vs. local policies, and more. About our guest: Paul Hazen has held a number positions in the cooperative sector: executive director of Kickapoo Valley Association, a shared services cooperative of nine municipalities, executive director of Rural Housing Inc. in Madison, WI, where he developed co-ops and affordable housing projects in rural communities. In the late 80s, Paul joined the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA), where he raised the profile of cooperatives through advancing domestic co-op policy and programs and greatly expanding funding for international cooperative development, more than tripling its portfolio from $8 million to over $30 million.  A few things you might know owe their existence to Paul's work, such as the USDA Rural Cooperative Development Grant program, and the.coop domain. Since joining the Overseas Cooperative Development Council (ODCD), Paul has led the effort that has resulted in a 50% increase in Congressional funding to $18.5 million for the Cooperative Development Program. At OCDC, Paul has fostered more collaboration among international cooperative developers, including networks of cooperatives in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe.  To learn more: https://ocdc.coop/ 

In this holiday-themed episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin speaks with Ellis Roberts of New York State of Pine, a worker cooperative selling Christmas trees in New York City. They discuss the exploitation of workers and huge markups for consumers from traditional Christmas tree companies, New York State of Pine's democratic centralist model for decision-making, the question of scale, and the importance of working with and getting to know working-class people as communists and socialists. If you live in NYC and haven't gotten your Christmas tree yet, visit NY State of Pine at 323 St. Johns Pl in Prospect Heights, 75 7th Ave in Park Slope, or Metropolitan Ave and Bedford Ave in Williamsburg! About our guest: Ellis Roberts came to New York from Pennsylvania to join the Occupy Wall Street encampment and never left. After working for, and getting ruthlessly exploited by several large Christmas tree companies, Ellis, a dedicated communist, struck out on his own with a few of his fellow workers and started their own cooperative enterprise selling Christmas trees. To learn more, visit https://www.nystateofpine.com/

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar, Larry, and Kevin talk to philosopher, podcaster, and Jacobin contributor Ben Burgis about his views on cooperatives and their relationship to socialism. Burgis and the ATC guys discuss the value of co-ops under a capitalist economy and in a socialist future, the need for political victories to advance socialist ideals, the role of debating those who don't share your views, and possible paths forward towards a new cooperative society.  

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry and Kevin talk with Joshua Preiss, professor of Philosophy and the Director of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Dr. Preiss talks with Kevin and Larry about the notion of the American Dream, notions of fair rates and just work, this American economic ideology and its relation to economic reality, Adam Smith and the framework of the "Well Ordered Society," the current Winner Take All economic arrangement, the dire consequences of the winner take all dynamic, and some real structural changes that could bring about just work for all.  Dr. Preiss has published papers ranging from Milton Friedman's notion of freedom, the relation of finance capitalism and democratic freedom and, most recently and the focus of this conversation, Just Work for All: The American Dream in the 21st Century.  About our guest: Joshua Preiss is a professor of Philosophy and Director of the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He regularly teaches courses in social and political philosophy, business ethics, philosophy of economics, and the philosophy of race, class, and gender. Just Work for All: The American Dream in the 21st Century by Joshua Preiss: https://www.routledge.com/Just-Work-for-All-The-American-Dream-in-the-21st-Century/Preiss/p/book/9780367694883 To get a discount, enter the code JPS22 at checkout.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin chats with Professor and author Elizabeth Anderson about her book Private Government, which pushes back on the myth that a free market means workers are free. Most workplaces function like dictatorships, with their own private governments—employers—calling the shots. Kevin and Professor Anderson discuss these contradictions, the historical American ideal of self-employment, classical philosophers and economists such as John Stuart Mill, contract feudalism, co-determination, and more as they weave through an important conversation about the future of work and workplaces. About our guest: Elizabeth Anderson is the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and John Dewey Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan. She is the author of The Imperative of Integration (Princeton), Value in Ethics and Economics, and Private Government. Professor Anderson's research covers the interconnected nature of social, political and ethical philosophy including: democratic theory, equality in political philosophy and American law, racial integration, the ethical limits of markets, theories of value and rational choice. She has studied the philosophies of John Stuart Mill and John Dewey, feminist epistemology and philosophy of science. Private Government by Elizabeth Anderson: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691176512/private-government

In this episode of All Things Co-op in honor of National Co-op Month, Kevin interviews Priya Chatwani, a software engineer and organizer at Politics Rewired, a tech cooperative which grew out of the 2020 Bernie campaign that aims to build technology for Left organizing. Kevin and Priya speak about how Politics Rewired got started, the technology they're currently working on, Big Tech and the role of tech cooperatives, cooperative decision-making, the relationship between technology and organizing, and how technology can support and grow the Left. About our guest: Priya Chatwani is a technologist and organizer who centers anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism, and intersectionality in her efforts to redistribute privilege and build political power on the Left. She's currently a worker-owner at Politics Rewired, previously worked on public transit planning tools at Remix, and interned at Twitter, Google, and Infosys. While at Stanford, she co-taught "Coding for Social Good" and worked with the Haas Center for Public Service to curate "public interest tech" panels, career newsletters, resource guides, and summer and post-graduate fellowships. Politics Rewired is a worker-owned cooperative designing human and technological solutions for organizers. They work with organizers to streamline workflows so that they can focus on what they do best: building systems and relationships. They work with political campaigns, unions, and movement organizations, with a deliberate emphasis on supporting Left insurgents and building independent Left infrastructure. To learn more: https://www.politicsrewired.com/

Welcome to Season 7 of All Things Co-op! In this special episode in honor of National Co-op Month, Kevin speaks with Kevin O'Brien, co-founder of the union co-op Worx Printing. You may have seen Worx Printing at the Democracy at Work online shop at https://democracy-at-work-shop.myshopify.com/. In this interview, O'Brien discusses his path to starting Worx, globalization and its effects on the apparel industry, the benefits and importance of the union-coop model, best practices for running and sustaining a business, and more. You can find more about Worx and support their work at worxprinting.coop. About our guest: Kevin O'Brien is the co-founder and Managing Member at WorX Printing Cooperative, in Worcester, Massachusetts. For the past 20 years he has focused his career on understanding and working within supply chains. He has worked with Merchandising, Design, Manufacturing, Imprinting, Fulfillment, Distribution as well as Finance and Ecommerce. The foundation of Kevin's experience comes out of the New York City and Los Angeles Garment Centers and from manufacturing facilities throughout the country. His experiences have brought him in contact with the creative and technical genius, as well as the shortcomings, of ethical manufacturing practices. Kevin worked with Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's on Worx's predecessor, sweatX, trying to right the wrongs of the predatory cut-and-sew arm of the merchandise industry. SweatX shuttered in 2004 after two years of production due to exploitative pressures. In 2014, carrying hard-learned lessons from the closure of sweatX, Kevin co-founded Worx, a union co-op printing shop, to ensure that cutting-edge print technology was coupled with the highest bars of manufacturing and fair trade standards.

In this special All Things Co-op season finale, Kevin traces a brief history of international relations, discusses the rise of international law and the failure of the UN to address our current global dilemmas, and speculates that a cooperative, rather than competitive, international order is necessary to create a sustainable, peaceful world.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar and Kevin discuss the issue of the environment, its destruction, the cause (spoiler alert: it's capitalism) and the only true way we can address this looming crisis. They discuss the underlying reason why we have global climate change, its reverberating effects, the potential for revolutionary responses, the danger of eco-fascism, and how a cooperative response could save us.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar and Kevin talk with Erik Esse, the producer of the new documentary The Co-op Wars. The Co-op Wars traces the history of the food cooperative movement in the mid to late 1970s in Minnesota's Twin Cities. The rapid development of the food co-op network in the area prompted a split between anarchist "hippies" and Bolshevists who styled themselves as the “Cooperative Organization” and set about taking over the People's Warehouse by force. The film provides powerful lessons for cooperative organizations and activists today. As Erik and the ATC guys dissect the film and its implications, they touch on the role of traditional politics, the limits of "third-worldism" in the first world, the mainstreaming of co-ops, the potential influence of COINTELPRO, and much more.

Polls show that most Americans think economic inequality is a problem, but if you listen to right-wing capitalist apologists, you'll hear that economic inequality is either not that big of a deal, a consequence of economic freedom, and/or actually a good thing. In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar and Kevin pick apart these arguments, look at how wages are distributed in co-ops today, and talk about how inequality could be handled in a cooperative society.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry, Cinar, and Kevin celebrate Democracy at Work's 10 year anniversary by reflecting on their history and involvement with d@w. The ATC guys discuss the value of d@w, their own political histories and perspectives, their path to becoming co-hosts of this podcast, the nuts and bolts of planning, recording and producing episodes, and what they are looking towards in the future.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar, Larry, and Kevin talk with Terence Courtney, the Director of Cooperative Development & Strategic Initiatives at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, an organization focused on land retention, cooperative development, and advocacy for small black-owned farms in the Southern United States. Terence and the ATC guys discuss the unique history of black farming in the south, institutional and ideological barriers to growth, and what cooperative associations can mean for historically marginalized communities. About our guest: Terence Courtney began organizing with the Service Employees International Union to improve economic conditions for working people. He led union campaigns and later became the union's State-wide Representative in Georgia. He's co-founded and led coalitions such as Atlanta Jobs with Justice and the Atlanta Public Sector Alliance, a community group focused on the public sector. While working with the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Terence organized both US-born and immigrants of African descent to educate and raise consciousness about immigrant rights and mass incarceration from a Black Diasporic perspective. He co-developed the Organization for Human Rights and Democracy and served as the Director of Organizing overseeing campaigns against school privatization, as well as its spin off project: Cooperative Atlanta. Terence currently serves as the Director of Cooperative Development & Strategic Initiatives for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives.

Does capitalism allow real friendship? How does commodification shape our dating lives? How do people share intimacy in a world in which data is translatable to wealth? These and many more questions are discussed by Cinar, Kevin, and Larry in this episode of All Things Co-op.

In this episode of ATC, Cinar, Larry and Kevin talk with John Hayes of MyCoolClass about the rise of educational platforms and online learning. MyCoolClass aims to give power back to the teachers as they navigate the online teaching world and show how cooperative principles can shake up the space. John and the ATC guys chat about what cooperative cultural values bring to education and how an education system run by teachers could be truly revolutionary.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar, Larry, and Kevin talk about the issue of innovation under both capitalism and a possible cooperative economy. The innovation we've seen over the last 250 years has been so immense that people often believe if we changed our economic system, we'd lose the drive for innovation. Though the innovation achieved under capitalism has led to a decrease in needless death, greater standards of living, and massive economic growth, it has also created immense inequality and has led to ever more frequent recessions. As we approach the era of artificial general intelligence and irreversible climate change, how do we account for and justify the costs associated with capitalism? 

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar, Larry, and Kevin talk with Hazel Corcoran and Jared Blustein from the Canadian Worker Cooperative Federation. Hazel has been the CWCF's executive director since 1995 and Jared is a founding worker-owner of The Allium, a plant-based worker co-op in Calgary. The group discusses the unique landscape of the Canadian worker cooperative movement, touching on issues around building the solidarity economy and Canada's national legislation on cooperatives. Jared and Hazel speak to both the benefits of operating within the worker co-op framework as well as the challenges their organizations face in a largely capitalist economy.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry, Cinar, and Kevin dive into the issue of leisure as it relates to both our current capitalist system and a future cooperative society. What does leisure look like under capitalism and how does it function? What does it mean for our non-work lives and interests to be commodified? The ATC guys explore what leisure could look like in a more cooperative society.

Welcome to Season 6 of All Things Co-op! In this episode, Cinar, Larry, and Kevin introduce the theme of Season 6: there is an alternative. Critics on the Left love to talk about what they're against but rarely offer real alternatives. Playing off the widespread feeling of capitalist realism—that there is no alternative to our current economic order—the ATC guys propose that building a cooperative society is a concrete alternative to capitalism. Throughout this season, they will speculate about what that future society could look like, both in terms of political and economic structures, but also on a wider, socio-cultural scale. Human beings are more than mere workers! Kevin, Larry and Cinar will look at all the aspects that make up our life, from sports to sex and everything in between, to see what living would look like in a cooperative world.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin, Cinar, and Larry discuss the urgency of scaling the cooperative movement. Traditional capitalist enterprises leave the majority of workers feeling trapped and exploited. Democratically-run worker co-ops are a functional solution to a system built on workplace inequality. The ATC guys explore how to grow the co-op sector by asking questions like: Why do co-ops need to scale? For what purpose? What does a scaled co-op economy mean in terms of challenging capitalism? Can the cooperative system help unify and support a Leftist political movement?

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin recommends a few resources for listeners who are interested in starting and running their own worker co-op. He then takes a step back and contextualizes cooperatives within our current economic system. What does it mean to do startup work in the worker co-op system? How does the co-op model relate to and differ from traditional capitalist enterprises?

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Kevin talks to blogger and podcaster “The Blockchain Socialist” about how blockchain technology can serve as a mechanism for worker cooperatives and the Left. Though often tied to cryptocurrency, blockchains can also function as a means by which cooperatives maintain data sovereignty, can engage with various economic actors outside of traditional capitalist structures, and can enable scalability, while retaining democratic governance of enterprises. Though blockchain is not going to fix every problem, it does offer up many interesting opportunities to shift away from traditional, hierarchical capitalist institutions. 

In this episode, the ATC guys answer a question from a listener: "In the Soviet Union commodity production was retained and thus the money-commodity-money cycle that creates capital was able to continue, with the main change being that the capital accumulation was now directed by the state. Would a cooperative society not run into a similar issue, where the capital accumulation is merely directed by a different entity (in this case the co-ops) instead of eliminating capital accumulation itself?" Kevin, Larry, and Cinar dive into this question and provide their perspective on issues of capital accumulation, commodity production, and the incentives of cooperative enterprises.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry, Kevin, and Cinar talk to Michael Lebowitz about his perspective on the social economic models in Venezuela and Yugoslavia. They speak about the creation of the social economy, the experience of Chavismo in Venezuela, and the differing goals of some cooperatives and traditional trade unions. Lebowitz highlights the importance of self-actualization through protagonism and how the most successful of these models focused on solidarity over self-interest.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar, Larry, and Kevin talk to Minsun Ji, a labor organizer and Co-op expert. They discuss what a platform cooperative is, how it differs from a corporate or capitalist platform, and its connection with the larger labor movement. Minsun also talks with the ATC guys about the growth of the social economy and cooperatives in Korea, and shares her take on the popular Netflix series Squid Games and what it reveals about the reality Korean workers are faced with today.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry and Kevin talk to Patrick Conlon of Worker Ownership Resources and Cooperative Services, otherwise known as WORCS.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Cinar, Larry, and Kevin bring back Camila Piñeiro to discuss new legislative developments in Cuba that specifically focus on growing worker cooperatives. They briefly discuss the history of worker cooperatives in Cuba, the previous limitations on cooperatives, and the recent removal of those limitations. While US media paints recent protests in Cuba as a call for neo-liberal capitalism, Piñeiro tells us that this is really just a new phase in the "human experiment" that is Cuba's revolution. A new generation of Cubans are looking to reacquaint socialism with worker control and looking to vest that control in worker co-operatives rather than the solely in the state or party.

In this episode of All Things Co-op, Larry, Cinar, and Kevin talk about the lessons from occupy as we commemorate the 10 year anniversary of that revolutionary fall. They discuss what we should learn from that experience, what we owe to it, and how it still provides us crucial lessons on organizing in revolutionary times. It also forces us to reckon with the idealism of pure horizontalism, and the necessity of leadership in periods of struggle.

In this first episode of Season 5, Larry, Kevin, and Cinar share their thoughts on the status of co-operative organizations, the need for more overtly political co-operative organizations, and how big a role co-operative organizations should play in attempting to build the institutions that could serve as a part of an institutional challenge to the status quo.

In this episode of the All Things Co-op Podcast, Larry, Cinar and Kevin talk about the so-called "Great Resignation." After discussing what may be behind this change, the trio discusses what cooperatives might have done differently, and how different we would be able to deal with things like a global pandemic in a cooperative society.

In this episode of the All Things Coop Podcast, Larry leads an interview with Ed Whitfield of Seed Commons to talk about cooperative and democratic investment in worker cooperatives. 

In this episode, the ATC guys talk about the idea of the hostile takeover - workers organizing for the purposes of taking over a factory, usually when the owners are abandoning it. Reviewing and highlighting experiences in Argentina and in Chicago, they discuss the situations where these kinds of takeovers are possible, what pre-conditions are necessary, and how this related to union and other labor organizing efforts.

Co-op Cycle is a platform cooperative based primarily in France, but with member cooperatives around Europe. In this episode, the ATC guys chat with Adrien Claude, the coordinator for Co-op Cycle, about how it woks and what they've learned.

In this episode of ATC, Kevin, Larry and Cinar talk about some of the most common criticisms of co-ops that they've heard over the years and respond to it.

In this episode of All Things Coop, Cinar and Kevin talk with Dardan Isufi, the Chief Operating Officer of the Eva Cooperative, a rideshare cooperative based in Quebec, Canada.

In this episode, Kevin, Larry and Cinar talk about the organizations that represent cooperatives in the US and their political reticence to be anti-capitalist. They discuss the need for cooperatives to be anti-capitalist and the anti-capitalist left to be pro cooperative.

Unions and Worker Cooperatives are two forms of worker organizations focused on fighting for justice in solidarity. However, Unions and Coops fulfill different functions. What similarities do they share? What can they learn from one another? And how can they work together to achieve the goa of worker emancipation? In this episode of All Thing Co-op, Larry, Cinar and Kevin discuss these questions.

In this episode Kevin, Cinar, and Larry talk with Erik Foreman and David Alexis about their exciting new cooperative - Drivers.Coop - in New York City. Driver.coop was founded to be the alternative to Uber and Lyft. Drivers.Coop will be launching soon and already has over 2500 drivers participating.

In her famous text Reform or Revolution, Rosa Luxemburg spent a short chapter discussing cooperatives, and made a classic critique. In this episode Larry, Kevin, and Cinar take on the critique and try to answer it.

In this episode of All Things Co-op Larry, Cinar, and Kevin attempt to answer the often asked question for anti-capitalists - “What does your future society look like?” While one version of a post-capitalist society is Star Trek, we can wait that long - we need something now. So, starting from the standpoint of an economy based on worker self-directed enterprises they discuss what the government in such a society could look like. They attempt to answer how economic decisions could be made, how things could get built, and how we could distribute the goods and services we produce. If you’ve ever wondered what the future looks like, check out this episode.

Work sucks. But why? Why do we all long for happy hour after work ends? In this episode of the All Things Coop podcast, Larry, Cinar, and Kevin sit down to talk about the theory and lived reality of alienation through the black comedy "Office Space." They discuss the consequences of alienation wider society and how Worker Self Directed Enterprises may be the cure to this pervasive problem. You don’t hate Mondays, you hate capitalism.

Kevin and Cinar talk to Steve Storkan, who self describes himself as "the ESOP 101 guy." He is the Executive Director for the Employee Ownership Expansion Network (EOX) and has been involved with employee stock ownership plans for over 25 years. Take a look at the YouTube video description box for a full breakdown of topics with time-codes: https://youtu.be/gFVuFcaukcA Steve Storkan has been involved with employee stock ownership plans for over 25 years, most recently as the Director of ESOP Administration for Alerus Retirement and Benefits where he worked closely with businesses in the creation of an ESOP and the technical administration and compliance required in subsequent years. Steve spent 11 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota-Dakotas Chapter of the ESOP Association where also served as Chapter President and VP of Government Relations. Steve holds a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation from the University of Minnesota State Mankato.   Learn more about EOX: https://eoxnetwork.org/

All Things Co-op welcomes Esteban Kelly, the Executive Director for the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives for a fascinating glimpse into the work of USFWC, and his thoughts on both national and international strategies for growth in the cooperative movement. Esteban talks USFWCs education and training and their advocacy and organizing work, how they measure their success, and much more.  Learn more about the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives Esteban Kelly is the Executive Director for the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and is an important leader and creative force in solidarity economy and co-op movements. He has served on numerous boards including the USFWC, the US Solidarity Economy Network, the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA-CLUSA), and the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF). He is a co-founder of the cross-sector Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA), and recently worked at the New Economy Coalition as Development Director and then Staff Director.

Hilary Abell of Project Equity joins All Things Co-op to talk about her experiences and take away from almost 2 decades of work in co-op development. Topics include: The background, mission and work of Project Equity; Abell's thoughts on how the current pandemic and economic crisis contributes to the existing "silver tsunami" and increases the possibility for conversions; Successful conversion examples by Project Equity: pizza, manufacturing; Project Equity's process of identifying potential candidates for conversion; Abell's thoughts on growing the economic sector: the path to scale. Learn more about Project Equity: https://project-equity.org/ Learn more about the referenced paper by Hilary Abell, "Worker Cooperatives: Pathways to Scale" https://democracycollaborative.org/learn/publication/worker-cooperatives-pathways-scale Hilary Abell was “bit by the cooperative bug” when she was a worker-owner at Equal Exchange in the 1990s and forever changed by witnessing how Latin American farmers used coops to transform their communities. After a decade of internationally focused community empowerment work, Hilary has worked in coop development in the Bay Area since 2003. As Executive Director of WAGES (since rebranded to Prospera), she led the organization through a period of major growth, resulting in a network of five worker-owned green cleaning businesses that created 100 healthy, dignified jobs for low-income women. Worker-owners increased their family incomes by 40-80%, built assets through robust profit sharing, and gained business skills and social capital. Hilary co-founded Project Equity while writing Worker Cooperatives: Pathways to Scale and consulting for coop development initiatives and nonprofits. For her work with Project Equity, Hilary was awarded Presidio Graduate School’s Big Idea Prize in 2013, an Echoing Green Fellowship in 2014, and a 2016 Local Economy Fellowship. She has her B.A. from Princeton University and her MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio. In her spare time, she can be found powering up a hill on her road bike or nesting with her wife and three kittens.

Mayor Jesse Arreguin joins All Things Co-op to talk about Berkley's cooperative roots, the legislation that Berkeley adopted in 2016 that provides incentives and support for cooperatives, and how cooperatives are a critical part of a just and equal economic system, and an inclusive recovery from the current pandemic and economic crisis.  Mayor Jesse Arreguin is the Mayor of Berkeley, California. Berkeley has been a leader in city initiatives assisting worker cooperatives and business operating on cooperative principles. Mayor Arreguin lead the charge to create a program where City’s Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) could be used for the purpose of converting traditional businesses into worker cooperatives.