Category Archives: Co-op Blueprint

How Do We Sense Make Of It All

Posted on July 13, 2020 by John McNamara

Several years ago, in the aftermath of the protests in Wisconsin supporting labor unions, I wrote about sensemaking and how resilient cooperatives can be in adjusting to the changes in the economy and providing an antidote to the Shock Doctrine. … Continue reading →

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May Day 2020: A Day of Solidarity and Support

Posted on April 29, 2020 by John McNamara

Normally, I see May Day as the international workers holiday. It would, in my view, be an international paid holiday where nobody labors and celebrates the value of people. A number of worker co-ops close to celebrate (Rainbow Grocery Co-op … Continue reading →

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Get Ready for the Recovery

Posted on April 10, 2020 by John McNamara

“The old temptation of Esau, who sold his birthright for a plate of beans, is something that is something that is constantly being offered to people. Workers, with their hope and right to a new order, have the same temptation … Continue reading →

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The Worker Co-op Movement in 2040: Revisited

Posted on November 8, 2019 by John McNamara

Ten years ago, when I was blogging much more regularly, I wrote a series on envisioning the worker co-op movement in 2040. You can read them here. As the Co-op Decade comes to a conclusion over the next couple of … Continue reading →

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The Quest for Capital

Posted on November 7, 2019 by John McNamara

The final goal for the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade focused on capital (although in a lot of ways, the other goals also touched upon capital as well). The goal states, “Secure reliable co-operative capital while guaranteeing member control”. Starting … Continue reading →

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The Legal Framework

Posted on November 6, 2019 by John McNamara

The 4th goal of the Blueprint for a Cooperative Decade has also showed significant advancement since 2010. This goal states, “ensure supportive legal framework for cooperative growth”. At the state level, the spread of Limited Cooperative Association (LCA) acts have … Continue reading →

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Sustainability-Coops Leading the Way

Posted on November 4, 2019 by John McNamara

In the 2013 Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade, the ICA authors make the following case: “Quite simply, a co-operative is a collective pursuit of sustainability. Co-operatives seek to ‘optimise’ outcomes for a range of stakeholders, without seeking to ‘maximise’ the … Continue reading →

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Participation Reward

Posted on November 1, 2019 by John McNamara

In the Blueprint for a Co-op Decade, one of the five pillars is “participation” with the stated goal: ““Elevate participation within membership and governance to a new level”. I am not sure how this will be measured or even if … Continue reading →

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The Co-op Decade and After

Posted on October 31, 2019 by John McNamara

This month, I have posted about different co-ops every day in celebration of National Co-op Month (celebrated in Canada and the United States). I did this in conjunction with NWCDC’s daily Facebook post about the same co-op. Today, on the … Continue reading →

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