Cooperatives for the Future
Chris Lempa
Black Oak Report
February 1, 2008

Cooperate:
intr.v., -at•ed, -at•ing, -ates.

1. To work or act together toward a common end or purpose.
2. To acquiesce willingly; be compliant: asked the child to cooperate and go to bed.
3. To form an association for common, usually economic, benefit: When buy-ers cooperate, they can make large wholesale purchases at a discount.

There is a growing movement against “corporate greed.” A movement that crosses the meaningless left/right divide. Both Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader have fingered corporate greed as a destructive force. Unfortunately, few are proposing, let alone working towards, alternative models to replace the current corporate capitalist system. Few is, of course, a relative term. The town in which I reside is home to a number of cooperatives and collectives. Both of these models are working to replace the current system. In many cities, if you ask where “the Coop” is you will be directed to a cooperatively run grocery store. Of course, a lot of people will have no idea what you are talking about.
   
According to the National Cooperative Business Association, cooperatives follow seven internationally recognized principles: 1) Voluntary and Open Membership, 2) Democratic Member Control, 3) Member Economic Participation, 4) Autonomy and Independence, 5) Education, Training and Information, 6) Cooperation Among Cooperatives, and 7) Concern for Community. Most people would not consider these principles to be radical. In fact, a majority would probably agree that they should be society's basic organizing principles.
   
If more businesses were owned and operated cooperatively, more people would be in control of their lives. Finances tend to be the number one concern in most people's day to day lives. The fear of losing one's job is prevalent. This fear is magnified when it is realized that the person controlling your occupational fate is relatively unaccountable to anyone other than themselves. In a cooperative that is not the case. Decision-making is much more transparent and therefore accountable. (This is a brief example. Please do some more research if you unfamiliar with the cooperative model.)
   
Aside from the financials, cooperatives extend the sense of community beyond the traditional settings. Aside from grocery stores, cooperatives have been formed to provide credit and personal financial services, electricity, telephone, internet and satellite and cable TV services, legal and professional services, and just about anything else you can imagine. In fact, electric coops are a staple in many rural areas.
   
Most amazing is the broad range in size of cooperatives. While many cooperatives are simply storefront businesses, there are also Fortune 500 companies that are organized cooperatively. This broad range demonstrates that a participatory organizational structure is a realistic goal. All that is necessary is for the people participating to desire control over their own lives. Cooperatives won't be the be all end all, but they will definitely be a start in the right direction.

Chris Lempa is a streetwise professor in search of the perfect cup of coffee
and the perfect glass of water. He is a guest editor at www.Strike-the-root.com.
  You may e-mail him at 8lempa8@gmail.com.

Reproduction of material from any original Blackoakmedia.org pages
without written permission is strictly prohibited.
Copyright 2008 Black Oak Media