Introducing www.1worker1vote.org

https://www.facebook.com/1worker1vote

http://www.cincinnatiunioncoop.org

The USW-Mondragon USA-OEOC Modeled Union Worker

Cooperative Movement…

A Worker-Owner GAME CHANGER FOR OUR COMMUNITIES

1worker1vote.org - www.1worker1vote.org

(CUNY Law Foundation – Fiscal Agent)

•1401 New York Avenue, NW – Suite 1225, Washington, D.C. 20005

The Union-Coop Model Foundation United Steel Workers 2009 Historic Agreement

w/Mondragon

Open Admission

Democratic Organization

Sovereignty of Labor

Instrumental and Subordinate

Nature of Capital

Participation in Management

Wage Solidarity

Inter-Cooperation

Social Transformation

Universality

Education

Mondragon Principles

Practitioners from 17 states and Mondragon at the International Union Co-op Symposium, 12/13

• Mondragon is the top industrial group in the Basque region, ranked 10th in Spain with 80,000 personnel, a presence in 70 countries.

• With its own bank, university, and insurance mutual, together with 12 cooperative laboratories holding more than 850 patents, Mondragon’s 60-year-old mission is to generate wealth for society through business development and job creation under the “one worker, one vote” cooperative framework.

• Mondragon holds that labor is sovereign and capital, while essential, is subordinate to labor and sustainable job creation.

• Mondragon’s Consultancy Cooperative, LKS, who, together with the Young Foundation in the UK, cooperates on developing Regional Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialization (RIS3) that has resulted in transformation templates for Croatia, Belfast and Montreal.

Mondragon

“Those who opt to make history and change the course of events themselves have an advantage over those who decide to wait passively for the results of the change.”

Father José María Arizmendiarrieta

A for-profit business

owned and directed by workers.

This business model utilizes the collective bargaining process and is guided by the core principles of sustainability, solidarity, accountability, and community and is based on the Mondragon

principles.

What Is a Union Co-op?

Why A Union Cooperative?

• In a traditional cooperative, the ability of workers to hold management accountable on a daily basis is limited and indirect

• The majority of workers could limit the rights of the minority

• Union provides access to lower cost (for higher benefit) pension, healthcare, and education programs

• Similar to the Mondragon “Social Committee”

Why Employee Ownership? • Real Ownership provides a Competitive Advantage

• Increases Employee Motivation

• Increases Employee Productivity

• Increases Employee Creativity

• Improves Business Profitability

• Improves Customer Service

• Anchors Businesses, Jobs and Capital

“Labor is prior to and

independent of capital.

Capital is only the fruit of

labor, and could never have

existed if labor had not first

existed. Labor is the

superior of capital, and

deserves much the higher

consideration.” Abraham Lincoln

• The richest 85 people in the world have as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion, or half the world’s population.

• In America, 400 individuals own more wealth than the bottom 150 million

• America ranks 65th globally in social mobility. • Increasing poverty • Outsourced job losses • High levels of unemployment, drop-outs • Distressed communities • An economy & democracy that works for fewer and fewer

people • Two Americas – one who owns & one who tithes, sharecrops,

rents…

Inequality Point of No Return

• 29,000 member-owned cooperatives account for: – $3 trillion in assets; $500 billion in revenue, more than one

million jobs – but these are mostly membership entities • Only 300+ worker-owned cooperatives in America representing

between 4,000 to 5,000 worker-owners • More than 11,000 employee-owned companies but only

8/11,000 companies where the employees own the majority of the stock and which are democratically governed

• USDOL holds that one-third of all ESOPS have fraudulent market valuations

• Conclusion: No where to go but UP for the U.S. Worker Ownership Movement

America’s Worker Owners Today: - A fraction of what should be -

- A minority within an untapped silent majority -

AMERICA’S 42 MILLION NEW ECONOMY WORKERS

“The New Mutualism”

Sara Horowitz, Founder & Executive Director of the Freelancers Union,

has declared that.

“Freelancing is the new normal.

This new workforce needs support to live the independent, interconnected lives

they want.”

42 million New Economy Workers) now represent one of every three American

workers – will they work in a truly “Sharing Economy” or become “Involuntarily

Shared”?

The 2009 Netflix Culture Code similar to Jeff Bezos’ “Purposeful Darwinism” at

Amazon means more highly efficient digital sweatshops where workers are

discarded as 1099 commodities

Fernando Fernandez de Landa, Director of the Americas, Mondragon, at the International Union Co-op Symposium, 12/13

Armando Robles of New Era Windows Cooperative (Chicago)

at the International Union Co-op Symposium, 12/13

1worker1vote.org

National Union Worker Co-op Movement

Txomin Garcia Hernandez, President of Laboral Kutxa and Charles Snyder, President and CEO of National Cooperative Bank

CUCI is a non-profit that partners with individuals and organizations to develop worker-owned businesses that create family-sustaining jobs and an economy that works for all. CUCI emerged from the historic partnership between Mondragon, the world’s most successful network of worker owned cooperatives, and the United Steelworkers – our movement’s “Living Lab”

• All-volunteer, self-funded, casts wide net: integrated businesses, unions, universities, advocacy groups, banks, politicians, faith-based groups

• Cited as a national example of sweat equity economic development

• Developed 4 projects and 1 union co-op business in 2 years as prototypes for roll-out models (now used as templates in other geographies)

• Example: Launched “Our Harvest Co-op” in April 2012

• Hosted two International Union Co-op Symposiums in December 2013 & November 2015

Vision: Worker owned farms and distribution and processing center for locally produced, sustainable food. Progress: • First Mondragon-USW model union co-op

nationwide • To date has created 15 jobs including eight

worker-owners • Business model calls for 200 jobs in five

years • A self-funded $40k feasibility study led to a

$500k commercial loan in less than one operating year

• Practicum site for Cincinnati State's Sustainable Agriculture Management program

Working Group: CUCI ,UFCW, Mondragon, Ohio Employee Ownership Center, We Thrive!, OCDC, Ohio State University Agricultural Extension Office, and the Center for Community Change

Mission: Sustainergy is an energy efficiency contractor specializing in customized energy analysis, and retrofitting electrical and heating and cooling systems.

Progress: • Business Plan was completed in Fall of

2013 • Launched Dec 2013 w/3 worker owner

track team members and an organizing committee of 10

• CUCI & Sustainergy are playing a leading role in a coalition to enable a PACE district(Property Assessed Clean Energy) with responsible contracting in Cincinnati.

Steering Committee: Greater Cincinnati Building and Construction Trade Council, Mondragon, Cincinnati Union-Co-op Initiative (CUCI), Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Blue Green Alliance

The November 13/15 Sustainergy-Empower MOU signing ceremony

• A UNION-COOP SOLUTION:

• http://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/for-immigrant-life-in-us-has-its-share-of-struggles-but-also-many-rewards

• Sustainergy Cooperative. Worker-Owned - Facebook

• Sustainergy - CUCI - Cincinnati Union Co-op Initiative

• Shared Capital Makes Loan to Cincinnati's Start-up Worker ...

Vision: The Renting Partnerships organization provides the infrastructure - leadership, legal agreements, resources and services - to facilitate the exchange process and protect the interests of both owners and renters.

1) Model Legal Agreements

2) Facilitated Community-Based Leadership

3) Administrative Practices

4) A Financial System

Progress: Feasibility Study completed. Business Plan in process.

Steering Committee: USW, CUCI, Mondragon, Renting Partnerships

Worker Owned Grocery Stores in Food Deserts Vision: Create family sustaining full time jobs while meeting the need for grocery stores that can provide quality, affordable, walkable groceries in neighborhoods that are food deserts.

Progress: Market Study & Feasibility Study will be completed by Feb 28th, 2014.

Steering Committee: UFCW, Mondragon, Our Harvest, CUCI, community stakeholders from Avondale, College Hill, and Northside

Working For a Neighborhood Grocery

Northside • College Hill • Avondale

“Made In America” Broad-Based Ownership:

More stable.

Fewer job losses.

Outperforms especially during

downturns.

Join the USW-Mondragon USA-OEOC Modeled

Union Worker Cooperative Movement…

And be a part of this

Worker-Owner GAME CHANGER FOR OUR COMMUNITIES

1worker1vote.org - www.1worker1vote.org

(CUNY Law Foundation – Fiscal Agent) 1401 New York Avenue, NW – Suite 1225, Washington, D.C. 20005

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