After yesterday's lesson below on how labor is the source of original credit in an economy, we can now appreciate how Marx was on to something about workers owning the means of production. This too is loopy, but no more so than management owning the means of production as in capitalism.
If not labor nor management, then who? Well, of course, the customers. The right form of business organization is the co-op, which is customer-owned. In Seattle we have REI, Group Health, PCC, and plenty of co-op housing. Recreation, health care, food and housing to name a few, and all far more robust than their "investor owned" competitors.
We had an excellent labor movement in the USA until it was hijacked by govt, but it is now time to return to a labor movement that negotiates with the professional managers who run the co-op for its customers. Given what labor brings to the table, credit, this understanding may lead to a more equitable distribution of the profits of the operations.
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
If not labor nor management, then who? Well, of course, the customers. The right form of business organization is the co-op, which is customer-owned. In Seattle we have REI, Group Health, PCC, and plenty of co-op housing. Recreation, health care, food and housing to name a few, and all far more robust than their "investor owned" competitors.
We had an excellent labor movement in the USA until it was hijacked by govt, but it is now time to return to a labor movement that negotiates with the professional managers who run the co-op for its customers. Given what labor brings to the table, credit, this understanding may lead to a more equitable distribution of the profits of the operations.
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
2 comments:
John, English is not my native language. I am curious. What does co-op stand for? Co-operated or something?
If so...by who?
Thank you very much
Well, good question... cooperatives are a group of people who agree to private law to some end...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Corporation
People usually think worker cooperative, but my sense is customer-cooperatives are the ideal... that is the customers owns the means of production.
In seattle we have three customer-owned cooperative (at least, many apartment buildings are such)...
http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/
https://www.ghc.org/
http://www.rei.com/stores/seattle.html
Food, medicine and recreation... plus housing... all owned by the customers... not labor managed...
JOhn
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