Friday April 27, 2012, 4:49 am
Carl Davidson, who wrote this blog, tirelessly promotes Worker Ownership and a Solidarity Economy, both on the net, and giving talks on them at Collages and things.

Friday April 27, 2012, 6:13 am
Noted with thanks Michael~♥

Friday April 27, 2012, 6:16 am
Innovation among the workers is what will save our own butts. There are models to go on and is good to see a movement in this direction. When something takes off and becomes successful then others will learn and will follow.

Friday April 27, 2012, 6:28 am
Thanks for the post.

Friday April 27, 2012, 6:30 am
Noted. Thank you Michael!

Friday April 27, 2012, 6:47 am
Noted. Thanks!

Friday April 27, 2012, 7:28 am
Thanks, Michael. I hope to see more co-ops of other industries in the future. I think it may be our only hope since the old ways no longer work.

Friday April 27, 2012, 7:38 am
A step in the right direction!

Friday April 27, 2012, 8:25 am
Noted. Thanks Michael.

Friday April 27, 2012, 8:32 am
noted!

Friday April 27, 2012, 8:36 am
noted. Thank You Michael

Friday April 27, 2012, 8:47 am
Noted. Thank you for sharing this cause.

Friday April 27, 2012, 9:03 am
Noted,thanks Michael.

Friday April 27, 2012, 9:59 am
noted with thanks, Michael, for keeping us up to date!

Friday April 27, 2012, 10:01 am
Las Vegas has planned a strike from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a #Occupy M1- May Day March at 4:30 p.m.
They also have an Art & Propaganda site with ideas for banners and signs!
This is a very interesting article. I hope this is very successful. Unfortunately, economically Spain is very critical at present. It is falling behind Greece. There is also a third country going belly up as well. Recently, the news revealed that most of Europe and the United Kingdom were going through a second recession. The question is will these worker coops protect the people invested in them?

While a government is sinking its nation economically, can these coops independent survive? Hopefully, if they can survive, then, the communities surrounding these coops can also survive as well. Being that we might all—Europe and America—get to experience a Double-dip Recession in the next few years, it would be nice if we could develop ways to survive without feeling the repercussions from our nations’ poor decisions and actions!

Friday April 27, 2012, 10:25 am
Portland, have heard where Mondragon is in Spain, that unemployment is at 1%, while the rest of Spain is over 20%. The eurzone nonsense, is no better than America's Federal Reserve. Been in Belgium since last July, and Belgium took a 5-1 hit on its gold backed money when the euro\one was setup. Yet its still a pretty good Kingdom, whose taxes do serve Society. We surely need to fix the banksters at the top, so that then communities can take care of themselves..

Friday April 27, 2012, 11:32 am
Thanks for the information! As a member of IBEW local 799 for 36 years, I understand the importance of labor unions and the good they can do for workers.

Friday April 27, 2012, 11:41 am
People working to help each other without government influence like in the good old days. looking out for each other barter system, exchange, sharing, helping, trading, caring. Thanks Michael.

Friday April 27, 2012, 11:46 am
I am a union man and supported them most of my life. But when they started trying to tell me who to vote for in our elections up here it pissed me off. They are supposed to represent everyone and I guarantee you with millions of union members - well quite a few are for the 'other guy' and not the one the union is trying to force on its membership.
They are supposed to represent the everyday worker. Not political pundents and I resented my union dues being used to promote one specific party. They have no place in politcs and need to keep their noses in the work place and out of my private life.

Friday April 27, 2012, 11:48 am
Right on Rob. As a member of the IBEW (588 merged into 103 of Boston.) in 94, when I first heard of Mondragon, saw right away how Unions could help make it all happen. When I hear of the USW getting together with Mondargon a few years back, it was a dream come true. Well, that combo is taking longer to get off the ground, but have heard of no other real solutions.

Friday April 27, 2012, 11:50 am
thank you Michael, noted

Friday April 27, 2012, 11:55 am
Cam, as many things from all sides have been out of control on this melting pot called Mother Earth, I do know what you mean. They are still the best foundation we have for the people to be able to build their way out of this mess. Even if a large mistake was not embracing Worker Ownership Cooperatives as far back as the 70s. Plenty of us would rather have seen the UAW buy GM, rather than DC bailing GM out. But this combo of the USW and Mondragon is going to take off, soon enough.

Friday April 27, 2012, 12:12 pm
This is one of the ways we can level the playing field. Thanks Michael.

Friday April 27, 2012, 3:04 pm
Right on Michael! I agree that "... large mistake was not embracing Worker Ownership Cooperatives as far back as the 70s. Plenty of us would rather have seen the UAW buy GM, rather than DC bailing GM out." !:) I do hope Many MORE Unions & companies will follow Mondragon's lead!:)

Friday April 27, 2012, 3:14 pm
Thanks for this post!

Friday April 27, 2012, 3:19 pm
Thanks for the post, Michael....very interesting. It looks like a wonderful and intelligent business model that should be adapted everywhere. Sounds like it will weather economic recessions much better, too.

Friday April 27, 2012, 3:41 pm
I don't know how it is with other union members, but my other half doesn't seem interested as long as he keeps getting his paycheck, so i'm the one that signs all the union petitions that come in...i'm more interested and involved, and i don't even see that money coming in...but i'll keep harping, and maybe one day some of what it will sink in...
But it's an uphill battle when you're dealing with a 60 year old man, and black to boot, who has only ever voted once in any government election...and i had to pull out all the threats i had to make that happen with Obama in "08.
Lord give me strength...:-) Thanks Michael

Friday April 27, 2012, 3:43 pm
thank you Michael, unions are so important !! My employer asked me to join a union, otherwise he wouldn't employ me. Everybody should be entitled to be in a union. Here in Belgium we've got different unions, which are linked to different parties. The choice is yours.

Friday April 27, 2012, 5:11 pm
Noted. Thanks Michael

Friday April 27, 2012, 6:14 pm
This sounds like a good beginning--I hope government doesn't find a way to squash it==thanks Michael.

Friday April 27, 2012, 6:33 pm
Level the playing field. Right on, Michael, Ron, Craig.

Friday April 27, 2012, 6:59 pm
Sounds like a viable model that might be worthy of replication

Friday April 27, 2012, 8:36 pm
Noted!! Thanks Michael!!

Friday April 27, 2012, 11:41 pm
Hallelujah! It's about time the 2009 link up between Mondragon and the USW bore some fruit. Go Folks Go!

Worker-owned and -managed co-ops are the future. We need to make them the present, as well.

Friday April 27, 2012, 11:46 pm
Thanks for the story Michael, one of your-if not THE favorite subjects ;-)
Lucky Pittsburgh I'd say, and Mr Peck seems to be a smart guy.

Saturday April 28, 2012, 12:37 am
Noted, thanks Michael...The Republicans understand the value of Unions and the good they do for their members, which is way they are trying so very hard to destroy all Unions...Stick together Brothers, and if we do, they won't be able to break us...In the words of Norma Rae...."Union"

Saturday April 28, 2012, 2:41 am
Teresa: Though the Govt could easily help Communities get these things off the ground, if they would only bring it up as an option, we want as little of their hands on it as possible. My dream, when the people can take care of themselves, is for us to tell DC, ''Thanks for nothing, now stay out of our lives.'' There are options on getting the needed funding: some Unions are studying how to invest their pensions in Coops, don't see why Communities couldn't fund them local Banks or Credit Unions? With the GOP all wanting to privatize Social Security, why couldn't we have an option of investing some of it in these kind of Coops. Though most of the GOP make me sick, some of their talking points are to help empower States, while getting things out of DC, but their currant policies are stranding the Cities and States.

Yes Angelika, this is my favorite subject. Would not be on Care2, if I did not care about Nature and its Animals, and it just looks to me, that if we can take the pressure off of the people, while informing them about the conditions of Mother Earth, will will find a way to sustain our only home.

Saturday April 28, 2012, 3:30 am
Celebrate May Day and stand with the Unions as we do in Europe,great post Michael.

Saturday April 28, 2012, 4:31 am
Noted, thank you!

Saturday April 28, 2012, 5:08 am
You cannot currently send a star to Michael because you have done so within the last week,neither can I send to Barbara nor Sheryl "Dandelion" G.

Saturday April 28, 2012, 6:08 am
Very good idea as long as the multis do not undermine them byselling goods like their in the same markets underprice-this has happened quite a lot with start ups here in Australia

Saturday April 28, 2012, 7:34 am
Michael, This is similar to a concept that I wrote a final paper on in my business policy class in 82. My prof was a head of a bank (Chairman and CEO for 12 years) and absolutely hated it. He gave me a D altough it was well researched and reasoned.

Too radical... this bankster problem was predicted a long time ago and untill an alternative developes, facisim and FED debt Zionists will continue to be a plague, yoke and cancer.

How about Occuy US as a corporation, where stock is used as money?

Saturday April 28, 2012, 9:08 am
Toby, Ithaca New York has a Community Bank that has been printing Labor Hour Notes for 20 years now. They have issued millions of dollars of them since its start. I don't have the link to an OEN someone published right after first hearing of it. Vermont has a Bill going through its State House to issue its own currency, and also one to set up a Public State Bank, such as North Dakota has had for over 90 years.

Saturday April 28, 2012, 9:57 am
Really interesting!! Thanks for posting, Michael!!

Saturday April 28, 2012, 11:04 am
Michael, It's illegal to make "money", even on a state level. Some call them barter bucks too.

I'm suggesting that they be distributed as stock ownership like in the esop for investment and labor in a sustainable diversified venture portfolio.

Persdonally I think the country could be saved if the US Treasury would make a Dollar, but we can expect no real change in todays government. The FED owns about everything and everyone.

Saturday April 28, 2012, 11:41 am
Public State Banks, are looking to me as part of the way out of the mess that the Fed has made over the last 99 years. Even Ron Paul wouldn't end it over night. Kucinich as some good ideas on putting the Fed under the Treasury, which would surely be better than the other way around as now. But States can issue their own currency. Hell, as illegal as the Fed has been for so long...States are going to get a lot of leeway in that area to make up for the last 99 years. That same issue had a lot to do with the Revolution, for the Patriots got pissed about the Bank of England taking away the Colonies sound money.-that wasn't all of it for sure.

Saturday April 28, 2012, 12:55 pm
I can see a problem with having a bunch of state "money", that is all different, being of use on a country-wide scale. I really prefer not to splinter a monetary policy, but to make it instead work for the entire people.

I can't see that having a financial war (like nationalizing the FED) would solve the problems we all face, but do want a change from debt and endless war to support it.

Making a US Treasury Dollar, spending it into existance would take the burden of funding government, but still leave FED intact to fund growth in the for profit sector...hopefully targeting small business value adding production entrepreneurs.

Where are jobs going to come from if few new business entrepreneurs are surviving the financial, government and thievery gauntlett?

Saturday April 28, 2012, 1:55 pm
Very interesting Michael. Thanks.

Saturday April 28, 2012, 1:59 pm
Having been in Belgium for almost a year now, am seeing pretty well that the eurozone, no better than the Fed, has caused a few of its problems, like how Belgium took a 5-1 hit on its once gold backed money.

Its looking like Von Mise looks like he was right about there being no way of avoiding the final collapses from our debt based monetary system. But we can lighten it all by voluntarily taking steps out of it. Am sure Ron Paul understands that. (BUT in no way do I claim to be any economist, or Banker.)

How I do wish Ron Paul would talk about the 17 States that have bills going before their State Houses, to at least look into North Dakota's Public State Bank. Didn't mean to imply that Vermont issuing their own currency, with State funds would bring about 50 different currencies Though if Communities wanted to follow.Ithaca's New York's labor hours or dollars, why not? Or why couldn't those State Banks, fund Worker Ownership Cooperatives, or such?

If Cities and States could keep the profits local, instead of being sent out at midnight, they could take care of themselves.

Only thing DC needs to do end the wars and close all the over seas bases.

Saturday April 28, 2012, 4:06 pm
Thanks Michael very interesting article.

Saturday April 28, 2012, 9:45 pm
Thanks for posting , Been a while .

Sunday April 29, 2012, 1:31 pm
Thanks for the food for thought...appropriate for May Day

Monday April 30, 2012, 1:18 am
I like this post. I think coops are a good thing, it actually brings stability.

Monday April 30, 2012, 9:07 am
thanks for the post Michael. It's good to see people taking steps in the right direction.

Monday April 30, 2012, 11:17 pm
Noted, Thanks

Tuesday May 1, 2012, 11:23 am
Noted and let good things happen. Thank you.

Wednesday May 2, 2012, 2:09 am
Tahnks Michael - tried to send you and Ellen stars but the computer wouldn't let me - sorry! Excellent idea.

Wednesday May 2, 2012, 8:41 am
Michael, Did you see the Frontline series? Obama had real chances to rein in the big banks and didn't do it.

I don't understand the difference of state banks yet, so will look into it more. What are the primary advantages?

I'm totally with you on the war issues, but wonder how to turn a war industrial complex into peaceful use. Not much biblical reference in turning nuclear ICBM's into tornado shelters.

Wednesday May 2, 2012, 8:49 am
North Dakota's State Bank uses its tax funds to lend to Community Banks. The President of its Bank, does not claim that the Bank is the reason N.D. has avoided a lot of the financial mess of the last few years, but does say its part of it. It just sounds like part of the way out of The Fed, while it also being able to fund States.

Friday May 4, 2012, 3:56 am
thanks for the post. would like to see more of these initiatives.

Friday May 4, 2012, 6:39 pm
Noted with Thanks!

Saturday May 5, 2012, 1:20 pm
I am sure this is the way to go in the future for many companies.
It may be too latge for the large corporations which are international
but who knows?

Monday May 7, 2012, 11:13 am
Thanks for sharing, Michael - co-ops are the ONLY way to go!!!

Friday May 11, 2012, 6:34 am
Noted. It is so good to see that Mondragon has made its way to the burgh. Definitely a step in the right direction. Hopefully this will make our communities stronger jobwise and in many other ways as well. Thank you so much for posting this, Michael.

Saturday May 19, 2012, 8:25 am
Thinking smaller may be the only way to protect us from the NWO. In some ways it's going back to scratch. Reminds me of It's A Wonderful Life when the big banker tried to take over by hiding assets which was a lost deposit found by his cronie. The little guys banded and pulled through on their own.
Happy to see that green business is the target to begin forming more cooperatives in the US. Shame is, if it were about the people and not about the money, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. War $ come home with our children and parents.

Tuesday June 26, 2012, 8:58 am
Noted.