Ed Ott, far left of NYC Central Labor Council with Ricky and Raoul, third from the right of UE Local 1110. Ricky and Raoul are members of workers of Republic Windows of Chicago who occupied their factory until the owners were forced to agree to their basic demands for vacation pay, severance pay and temporary health care coverage which their bosses owed them after Republic closed its doors. The Bank of America, which was recently bailed out by U.S. taxpayers initially refused to loan Republic money for their weekly expenses. The eyes of workers across the nation and the world were on the union workers of Republic Windows in December 2008. This event took place at Judson Church in NYC 1/31/09 Addendum: At the labor event at Judson, many in the audience asked why didn't the workers try to create a workers co-op and run the factory themselves. Raoul replied that it would cost them $15 million to get the raw materials and machinery to to produce the windows. As more and more factories also closing, with scores of workers losing their jobs perhaps the Obama administration should take a look at a experiment of investing into worker co-ops. The government could target certain industries, like Republic which I think made green, energy efficient windows. Assemble the expertise in business and labor promote the concept of letting workers run factories in America. Wall Street no longer has the gumption or interest in manufacturing things in the US anymore. Workers in Argentina have accomplished this feat of worker co-ops. Why can't we do this here? Everything from our underwear (Mens Fruit of The Loom is made in Honduras) to microprocessors (Intel makes chips in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) is made abroad at the expense of the economic livelihood of American workers. I'm sending this writing on my blog to President Obama to offer what I think would be a solution to keeping good paying jobs in our country. Worker co-ops could be a way where Americans can have good paying jobs that help pay the mortgage and move our consumer based economy. What Wall St. won't do let American labor do it! Worker co-ops in the USA! Updated 2/21/09
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Worker Co-ops in the USA
Ed Ott, far left of NYC Central Labor Council with Ricky and Raoul, third from the right of UE Local 1110. Ricky and Raoul are members of workers of Republic Windows of Chicago who occupied their factory until the owners were forced to agree to their basic demands for vacation pay, severance pay and temporary health care coverage which their bosses owed them after Republic closed its doors. The Bank of America, which was recently bailed out by U.S. taxpayers initially refused to loan Republic money for their weekly expenses. The eyes of workers across the nation and the world were on the union workers of Republic Windows in December 2008. This event took place at Judson Church in NYC 1/31/09 Addendum: At the labor event at Judson, many in the audience asked why didn't the workers try to create a workers co-op and run the factory themselves. Raoul replied that it would cost them $15 million to get the raw materials and machinery to to produce the windows. As more and more factories also closing, with scores of workers losing their jobs perhaps the Obama administration should take a look at a experiment of investing into worker co-ops. The government could target certain industries, like Republic which I think made green, energy efficient windows. Assemble the expertise in business and labor promote the concept of letting workers run factories in America. Wall Street no longer has the gumption or interest in manufacturing things in the US anymore. Workers in Argentina have accomplished this feat of worker co-ops. Why can't we do this here? Everything from our underwear (Mens Fruit of The Loom is made in Honduras) to microprocessors (Intel makes chips in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) is made abroad at the expense of the economic livelihood of American workers. I'm sending this writing on my blog to President Obama to offer what I think would be a solution to keeping good paying jobs in our country. Worker co-ops could be a way where Americans can have good paying jobs that help pay the mortgage and move our consumer based economy. What Wall St. won't do let American labor do it! Worker co-ops in the USA! Updated 2/21/09
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