Sitting in the cold[/caption]Bob Ewing - Yesterday, as I left the dentist’s office I saw a man sitting on a bench in the mall about 30 feet away. I recognized him as someone I had seen in various spots around the City. There was a quiet air about him that suggested he was trying not to be noticed.
The weather here was brutal yesterday, minus 28 Celsius, and being outside for more than a few minutes, even properly dressed, was not a lot of fun, so, perhaps he was seeking temporary shelter.
My purpose is not to label this individual, but to use the experience to underscore how serious the rate of unemployment is here, and elsewhere.
People need jobs to buy stuff and housing is one of the most expensive items we purchase.
How can we as a society transition from a place where hunger and homelessness are growing, to a place were people can enter the marketplace and buy what they need? Worker’s cooperatives are one way that this transition can be carried out.
A cooperative is not a business unto itself but a business model; a business model that sells goods or services just as any other business does, the difference rests in the worker cooperatives’ structure.
Workers cooperatives are democratic, as all members of a co-op are equal decision makers in the enterprise, and employ the one-member, one vote, process of making decisions. Each worker owns a share in the cooperative and the enterprise is owned and controlled by the workers.
How can this make a difference in the unemployment rate? People have skill sets; some are capable of designing and making items, chairs, jewelry and so on. Others have great math skills and can do book keeping, still others can plan an ad campaign or handle public relations. Separately they are not able to run a successful business; but working together or cooperatively they have what it takes.
Some people do not attempt to set up their own business because they know they lack all the skills needed, and cannot afford to hire; others venture forth, some succeed, others do not.
When the circle is expanded and others are involved, then the picture changes; the potential resource base widens and the result is a stronger corporate foundation.
There are agencies that can assist in the development of your cooperative enterprise. Here in New Brunswick, you only need three people to get started and there is a provincial council that is very knowledgeable and helpful.
A word of caution, be careful about who you ask to men a member; just because someone is a family member or a long time friend does not mean they have the skills the enterprise demands or that you can work together, especially when times are going bad, which can happen in any business.
The United Nations has declared 2012 to be The Year of the Cooperative, take a hint and take a look.
