Hello, for those of you that still periodically check out this page.
This is small note to mention that new, regular posts will begin on Monday, September 16, 2013.
I know that I have made this promise before. It is different this time. Why? I have finally finished all of my course work towards my PhD in Business Administration (Management) at Saint Mary’s University. This has opened up more space for me to write about the issues of the day facing worker cooperatives and the US labor movement. More importantly, as I begin to start my dissertation research (which will consider the relative value of labor unions and worker cooperatives in the modern environment), this place will give me the ability to work out my ideas and hopefully gain new ideas from you. Consider this a window into the mind of a dissertation.
I want to renew my invitation to anyone in the labor movement or the worker cooperative movement to post here. Let me know–I would love for someone to join me with a weekly effort (perhaps a commentary on the week’s news in labor). In preparing for Monday, I have a few ideas lined up:
- The recent decision by the AFL-CIO to open up membership to non-unions and non-members.
- A review of the book Unions in America by Gary Chaison
- A Discussion by Bob Cannell of CooperativesUK of the failure of Anglo-based culture to embrace worker-ownership
- A response to Bob Cannell
- A review of the recent International Symposium of Cooperative Governance held in Halifax, NS
- What does Academia really want from worker coops?
If there are specific topics relating to worker ownership and worker cooperatives that you would like my opinion on (meaning that you don’t want to write an essay, but want to see it addressed all the same), send me a note!
In any event, I am looking forward to renewing the discussion. In the past, I had about 300 regular readers and feel a bit bad that I missed the Year of the Cooperatives, but I am also hoping that the raised profile of cooperatives might lead to more readers.