Putting a Premium on Workers Rights: Making Capital Subordinate to Labor through the Expansion of Worker Coops and Union Coops | Left Forum

1worker1vote.org’s Carmen Huertas-Noble will facilitate this panel at this year’s Left Forum:

Now is a critical moment to press for widespread expansion of cooperative business ownership as a tool to help stem the surge of income inequality. In 2008, income inequality was at its worst since the Great Depression, causing extreme suffering in people’s lives, including a lack of food security, stable shelter, educational opportunities, and access to health services. These widespread conditions often result in a multitude of other injustices and have led to a growing outcry against the capitalist system as well as mass mobilization efforts by “those left behind and left out” to address these injustices. The panelist share many commonalities, including passion and commitment to working within movements to create alternative institutions organized by workers who are the most vulnerable to exploitation and economic marginalization. The panel will highlight the union coop model, the relationship between worker coops and economic and social justice organizing and provide examples of projects that are: advocating for the conversion of hospitals slated to close into union coops, creating multi-stakeholder urban farm coops that will provide affordable and fresh food and creating re-entry cooperatives for people who have formerly been incarcerated.

The panel will consist of activists, lawyers and educators. It will highlight the union coop model, the relationship between worker coops and economic and social justice organizing and provide examples of projects that are: advocating for the conversion of hospitals slated to close into union coops, creating multi-stakeholder urban farm coops that will provide green space and affordable and fresh food and creating re-entry cooperatives for people who have formerly been incarcerated. All with an eye toward identifying best practices and lessons learned.

Chair/Facilitator:
Carmen Huertas-Noble

Speakers/Co-Facilitators:
April De Simone
Christina Jaus
Michael Peck
Roger Green
Alex Van Shaick

Sponsoring Journal:
Forbes Contributor Cameron Keng