In this first episode of Season 5, Larry, Kevin, and Cinar share their thoughts on the status of co-operative organizations, the need for more overtly political co-operative organizations, and how big a role co-operative organizations should play in attempting to build the institutions that could serve as a part of an institutional challenge to the status quo.

All Things Co-op's podcast

Cooperative Structures and Organizations

In this episode of the All Things Co-op Podcast, Larry, Cinar and Kevin talk about the so-called "Great Resignation." After discussing what may be behind this change, the trio discusses what cooperatives might have done differently, and how different we would be able to deal with things like a global pandemic in a cooperative society.

The Great Resignation

In this episode of the All Things Coop Podcast, Larry leads an interview with Ed Whitfield of Seed Commons to talk about cooperative and democratic investment in worker cooperatives. 

The Money Question with Ed Whitfield

In this episode, the ATC guys talk about the idea of the hostile takeover - workers organizing for the purposes of taking over a factory, usually when the owners are abandoning it. Reviewing and highlighting experiences in Argentina and in Chicago, they discuss the situations where these kinds of takeovers are possible, what pre-conditions are necessary, and how this related to union and other labor organizing efforts.

The Hostile Takeover

Co-op Cycle is a platform cooperative based primarily in France, but with member cooperatives around Europe. In this episode, the ATC guys chat with Adrien Claude, the coordinator for Co-op Cycle, about how it woks and what they've learned.

Co-op Cycle

In this episode of ATC, Kevin, Larry and Cinar talk about some of the most common criticisms of co-ops that they've heard over the years and respond to it.

Critiques of Co-ops

In this episode of All Things Coop, Cinar and Kevin talk with Dardan Isufi, the Chief Operating Officer of the Eva Cooperative, a rideshare cooperative based in Quebec, Canada.

The Eva Cooperative

In this episode, Kevin, Larry and Cinar talk about the organizations that represent cooperatives in the US and their political reticence to be anti-capitalist. They discuss the need for cooperatives to be anti-capitalist and the anti-capitalist left to be pro cooperative.

Co-ops and Their Organizations

Unions and Worker Cooperatives are two forms of worker organizations focused on fighting for justice in solidarity. However, Unions and Coops fulfill different functions. What similarities do they share? What can they learn from one another? And how can they work together to achieve the goa of worker emancipation? In this episode of All Thing Co-op, Larry, Cinar and Kevin discuss these questions.

Unions and Co-ops

In this episode Kevin, Cinar, and Larry talk with Erik Foreman and David Alexis about their exciting new cooperative - Drivers.Coop - in New York City. Driver.coop was founded to be the alternative to Uber and Lyft. Drivers.Coop will be launching soon and already has over 2500 drivers participating.

Interview with Drivers coop Worker-Owners

In her famous text Reform or Revolution, Rosa Luxemburg spent a short chapter discussing cooperatives, and made a classic critique. In this episode Larry, Kevin, and Cinar take on the critique and try to answer it.

Taking on Rosa Luxemburg's Critique of Co-ops

In this episode of All Things Co-op Larry, Cinar, and Kevin attempt to answer the often asked question for anti-capitalists - “What does your future society look like?” While one version of a post-capitalist society is Star Trek, we can wait that long - we need something now. So, starting from the standpoint of an economy based on worker self-directed enterprises they discuss what the government in such a society could look like. They attempt to answer how economic decisions could be made, how things could get built, and how we could distribute the goods and services we produce. If you’ve ever wondered what the future looks like, check out this episode.

Envisioning a Cooperative Society

Work sucks. But why? Why do we all long for happy hour after work ends? In this episode of the All Things Coop podcast, Larry, Cinar, and Kevin sit down to talk about the theory and lived reality of alienation through the black comedy "Office Space." They discuss the consequences of alienation wider society and how Worker Self Directed Enterprises may be the cure to this pervasive problem. You don’t hate Mondays, you hate capitalism.

Alienation, Office Space, and the Cure for Capitalism

Kevin and Cinar talk to Steve Storkan, who self describes himself as "the ESOP 101 guy." He is the Executive Director for the Employee Ownership Expansion Network (EOX) and has been involved with employee stock ownership plans for over 25 years. Take a look at the YouTube video description box for a full breakdown of topics with time-codes: https://youtu.be/gFVuFcaukcA Steve Storkan has been involved with employee stock ownership plans for over 25 years, most recently as the Director of ESOP Administration for Alerus Retirement and Benefits where he worked closely with businesses in the creation of an ESOP and the technical administration and compliance required in subsequent years. Steve spent 11 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota-Dakotas Chapter of the ESOP Association where also served as Chapter President and VP of Government Relations. Steve holds a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation from the University of Minnesota State Mankato.   Learn more about EOX: https://eoxnetwork.org/

All Things Co-op: Interview with Steve Storkan, EOX Network

All Things Co-op welcomes Esteban Kelly, the Executive Director for the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives for a fascinating glimpse into the work of USFWC, and his thoughts on both national and international strategies for growth in the cooperative movement. Esteban talks USFWCs education and training and their advocacy and organizing work, how they measure their success, and much more.  Learn more about the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives Esteban Kelly is the Executive Director for the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and is an important leader and creative force in solidarity economy and co-op movements. He has served on numerous boards including the USFWC, the US Solidarity Economy Network, the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA-CLUSA), and the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF). He is a co-founder of the cross-sector Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA), and recently worked at the New Economy Coalition as Development Director and then Staff Director.

All Things Co-op: Esteban Kelly, US Federation of Worker Cooperatives

All Things Co-op is a bi-weekly podcast produced by Democracy at Work that explores everything co-op. From theoretical and philosophical conversations about political economy and the relations of production, to on-the-ground interviews with cooperative workers, All Things Coop aims to appeal to a wide audience of activists, organizers, workers, and students to be better educated and motivated to creating a new cooperative society.

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