Collective Workplaces Spell Job Security, Fair Treatment and Real-Life Democracy

[marmar]

Collective Workplaces Spell Job Security, Fair Treatment and Real-Life Democracy

Wednesday, 05 December 2012 00:00
By Graciela Razo, Truthout | Report


Amid the economic downturn in 2007, economist, professor, and Truthout contributor and advisory board member Richard Wolff laid out a vision for a radical reorganization of labor wherein employees had control of their workplaces. From choosing their work hours to coming to consensus about everyday business operations, employees would act together as their own bosses to combat inequality in the workplace.

The Story of Beyond Care

After facing insecure jobs, low wages and toxic unemployment, Susana Peralta and 19 other women turned that radical restructuring of the workplace into a reality. Their cooperative brainchild Beyond Care blossomed in 2008 as a new way to provide quality employment for their community in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

The alternative workplace provides a necessary service of part- and full-time childcare where the women are their own bosses and chose their own hours and wages, a welcomed change from traditional workplaces.

"Not only did we create a space with fairer wages, but we found a way to employ our entire community," Peralta, the Beyond Care cooperative president said. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/news/item/13140-collective-workplaces-spell-job-security-fair-treatment-and-real-life-democracy