Tag Archives: Cooperatives

Make USPS a Solidarity Co-op!

Posted on August 24, 2020 by John McNamara

The recent fight over the post office has been dramatic and hyper partisan while also obscuring the causes of the financial problems of the post office. These problems largely result from one major decision by the Congress known as the … Continue reading →

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Worker co-ops are not the solution, but a vehicle (and a sturdy one at that).

Posted on December 27, 2019 by John McNamara

“We do not aspire to economic development as an end  but as a means.”-– Don José María Arizmendiarietta (029)*
In early December, I attended a workshop in Post Falls, Idaho for Reimagining the Rural West. This initiative of the Western Governors … 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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Building a New Economy

Posted on October 18, 2019 by John McNamara

Construction companies seem ripe for the co-op model. The very nature of contracting means a team effort. Along the I-5 corridor between Bellingham and Olympia, there are three construction co-ops and more interested.
Northwest Construction Co-op in Olympia focuses on home … Continue reading →

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ROC and Roll

Posted on October 14, 2019 by John McNamara

Resident Owned Communities (ROCs) have become a thing. This term generally refers to a specific type of housing co-op that engages manufactured home parks. This is a slightly different model than what most people think of when they hear the … Continue reading →

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Olympia Food Co-op

Posted on October 5, 2019 by John McNamara

While this blog mainly focuses on worker co-ops, I will be making a few exceptions during National Co-op Month this year. I am following the daily Facebook posts that we put out on NWCDC’s social media and that will include … Continue reading →

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Orca Books Needs Your Help

Posted on October 4, 2019 by John McNamara

Orca Books has been operating as a new and used bookstore in downtown Olympia for almost three decades. It is the largest bookstore in the downtown (Olympia actually has three locally owned bookstores within about 5 blocks of each other … Continue reading →

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My Home in the PNW

Posted on October 3, 2019 by John McNamara

I started this challenge to myself to get me back into the practice of writing down my thoughts on the co-op world. When I writing and editing my thesis, I felt too guilty writing anything except the dissertation. That said, … Continue reading →

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Capital Homecare-18 months in

Posted on October 2, 2019 by John McNamara

On March 3, 2018, the workers of Capital Homecare Cooperative received their Agency license from the State of Washington. In Washington, home care (not to be confused with home healthcare) is heavily regulated. Just to get licensed (which also means … Continue reading →

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CICOPA’s Declaration on migrants and refugees

Posted on February 9, 2017 by John McNamara

Since my last post on January 23, I had been wondering how to address some of the actions that have happened since in terms of the worker cooperative identity. Fortunately for me, my friends at the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation … Continue reading →

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