By Kenzie Love As Saskatchewan, like other provinces, confronts the challenges posed by the impending surge of retiring baby boomers, it seems natural to look to the employee succession solution. Ideally, employees taking over a business would provide jobs for those who would otherwise lose them if it shut down, income for a retiree counting on … Employee Buyouts Model Has Potential Despite Obstacles
Last month, CWCF issued a statement in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. It now faces a bigger challenge: putting the statement into action. CWCF was hardly the only organization to issue such a statement. Many conventional businesses in the US have attracted criticism for what were seen as acts of performative allyship, pledging … Black Lives Matter: Putting Words to Action —Kenzie Love
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced all small and medium-size enterprises to change how they do business, and worker co-ops have been no exception. Where they have stood apart, however, is the way in which they’ve responded. By demonstrating flexibility, concern for community, and democratic worker control, worker co-ops have shown why they’re especially resilient in … Worker Co-ops Show Ingenuity In Coping With Covid-19 —Kenzie Love
While no one knows how much longer the COVID-19 virus has to play out, there’s a growing sense that life after the pandemic can’t just be a return to the status quo. The current crisis has shone a spotlight on problems that existed before (the climate crisis, growing inequality, precarious employment), and are certain to … Co-ops and COVID-19: Seizing the Opportunity —Kenzie Love
“Where there’s a problem,” says Wendy Keats of the Co-op Enterprise Council of New Brunswick (CECNB), “there’s usually a co-op solution.” When it comes to the future of many small and medium-sized businesses in Canada, it’s hard to dispute that there’s a problem. By the end of 2023, 50 percent (550,000) of current small business … Employee Succession: The Co-op Solution —Kenzie Love
By Hazel Corcoran I read with great concern about the sale of New Belgium Brewery to Kirin-owned Lion Little World Beverages. The concern is not only for the loss of this ESOP, as disappointing as that is. Rather, it is because we know that every ESOP, worker co-operative and enterprise in the solidarity economy is … What If We had an Antidote to Worker Co-ops Selling out? The case for indivisible reserves in worker co-operatives
By Kenzie Love Strengthening ties to the social and solidarity economy (SSE) is a key part of CWCF’s strategic plan. But what exactly is the SSE, how do worker co-ops fit into it, and how can they best collaborate with it? And what about social enterprises? Here’s a start at answering these questions. What is … Worker Co-ops and the Social and Solidarity Economy
As a response to the human rights situation in Chile and encouraged by TRASOL – the Chilean Federation of Worker Co-operatives – CWCF has written a letter which will go to the Chilean Embassy in Ottawa, the Canadian government and to TRASOL. CWCF also encourages members to write their own letters expressing solidarity with the … Expressing Solidarity With the Chilean People
By Kenzie Love As with all businesses, the climate crisis presents a challenge for worker co-ops, and at this point there may be as many questions as there are answers. But here’s a start at understanding some of the issues they face. How are co-ops uniquely positioned to respond to climate change? Co-ops’ unique ability … How Co-ops Are Responding to Climate Change
Paper posted on March 6, 2011 was prepared for the Babson-Equal Exchange Cooperative Curriculum titled ‘The Worker Cooperative Life Cycle’ by John R. Whitman Ph.D. This is an academic- style paper that explored whether the Cook and Burress’ theory (2009) of the five phases of a co-operative fit the life cycle of Equal Exchange. The paper … An Equal Exchange Story: When a founding member gets pushed out