Category Archives: Co-op Month

October is Co-op Month!

Posted on October 1, 2020 by John McNamara

Here we are again! October is the time to celebrate the cooperatives in our communities throughout the US and Canada. The last year has not offered a lot of hope and has tested our resilience, let’s take this month to … 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 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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All Systems Go! Working Systems Co-op

Posted on October 30, 2019 by John McNamara

In July of 2018, while the Main Street Employee Ownership Act was working its way into the Omnibus Defense Bill and NWCDC was preparing its Legacy Project aimed at raising the profile of worker ownership, I got a call from … Continue reading →

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My 2nd Birthplace: Union Cab of Madison 40 years on

Posted on October 29, 2019 by John McNamara

I am a bit glad that this post came so late in the month. I needed some time to get back in the practice of blogging before taking tackling this–so many thoughts and emotions run though my mind that this … Continue reading →

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A Co-op to Die For: People’s Memorial

Posted on October 27, 2019 by John McNamara

Washington and the PNW have a rich diversity of Co-ops: preschool, housing, consumer, producer, worker, multi-stakeholder and death. Washington “toddler to grave” co-op economy used to be “cradle to grave” but then Group Health Co-op sold itself. Still, there is … Continue reading →

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Self-Help and Grit City

Posted on October 26, 2019 by John McNamara

One of the key concepts of cooperation is the value of Self-Help. At some level, this means that if you don’t like your options in the market, create a co-op to meet your needs. Co-ops exist to meet the needs … Continue reading →

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Own the Internet: Clatskanie Co-op

Posted on October 25, 2019 by John McNamara

There was a lot of talk about net neutrality a few years ago with regard to FCC repealing rules on Net Neutrality in 2018. This change in regulation restored power to the internet service providers to control content and charges … Continue reading →

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Co-op Accounting: Business Services Co-op

Posted on October 24, 2019 by John McNamara

One of the major contradictions that worker co-ops need to grapple with arises with the way they are forced to manage the books. For instance, if a co-op’s mission is living wages and a safe work environment, those mission items … Continue reading →

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Power in Purpose: Part 2-Policy Breakout

Posted on October 23, 2019 by John McNamara

The first break out group considered the barriers to cooperatives and what policy changes can occur to break down those barriers. My group (and many of the others) focused on three central areas: Education, Awareness, and Incentives. Education needs to … Continue reading →

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