i agree with your points about co-ops and the like. these sorts of things have always been under attack from the state and bosses. i heard a story about a depressed community in indiana that more-or-less resorted to the barter system because un- and underemployment were so high. in response the local government out lawed yard sales — the venue being used for this new system.

the other difficulty with co-ops is that the people running them have to do that in addition to their regular nine to five. just the NGO sector a lot of people get burned out. in addition to this many go under because they either can’t procure grants and funding — especially in this economy — or they are just out competed by the local grocery chain. the chains have better quality and quantity.

on the other hand, though, co-ops are necessary a necessary workers and other oppressed peoples’ struggles. a good example is the organizing Democracy Insurgent is doing with the custodians at UW. one of the difficulties they’re facing is getting workers to commit to organizing meetings, not because the workers are lazy, but because they either have second jobs, or need to get home to take care of their families. a co-op of some sort that provided these services would be a major support for specifically the custodian struggle.

a co-op of this sort can also be a part of democratizing the union and turning it back into a fighting organization if the demand to provide these services is placed on the union bureaucracy so that the rank-and-file can organize. this could, however, present tension over who controls the co-op: the rank-and-file or the union bureaucracy. the funds for such a project can be placed on the bosses, and be included in the demands to recuperate the falling wages of the past 40 years.

my last thought on co-ops is that a lot of times they’re thrown up for precisely the reasons i’ve mentioned, but when the movement or worker militancy subsides so does the life-blood of the co-op project. at the height of a movement there is a spirit that pervades these projects that is very important. organizers have to, in a word, “institutionalize” this spirit. the food co-op, for instance, can be used as a democratic forum for the work-group, but also as a launching ground for another organization that would include the families of the workers who might decide to get involved in community organizing.

my thoughts.

Also people aren’t into paying dues for something that as far as we know, the SEIU centers still don’t get paid all that much either. We don’t know what the other benefits would be either. I haven’t taken the time to find out, but I don’t feel a deep urge to, due to the point about subsidies above.

I have not been organizing for a few years, but I am ready to get back into things – a lot of the writing on this blog is very inspiring. Also, thanks for your reply, I will keep reading this site for sure.

In my view I don’t think we can just organize outside the unions. Instead we need to organize alternatives to business unionism inside and outside the unions. Besides this, union leaderships and cultures are not all the same. The SEIU spending time doing secret deals with the company behind worker’s backs, raiding other unions, and smashing dissidents is not the same as the UE leading Quad City Die Casting workers to strike out against Wells Fargo bank.

On that point, could say more about why your co-workers don’t want to be in the SEIU?

I would say we need more rank-and-file workplace groups focused on cohering a resistance culture at work with an emphasis on direct action and solidarity that by-passes the legalistic framework of labor law.
We also need more alternative unionism, community unionism, mixed-locals, unemployed councils, tenants unions, “consumer” unions–the list could go on.

There are a lot of things happening out there that are in the right direction. A random selection could include: Black Workers for Justice, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Make the Road, Soldiers of Solidarity, United Workers, Chinese Staff and Workers Association, Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, the L.A. Bus Riders Union, the food program of Revolutionary Autonomous Communities. The list could go on.

As to the idea of co-ops and other similar projects you raised, I think these are vital. One of the tasks at hand is to build and spread these projects in combination with spaces where larger perspectives that challenge the whole system can be raised and discussed. In other words, there is no opposition between reform and revolution. The question is how do we see their relation. As the state retreats from any commitment to social infrastructure this vacuum needs to be filled by self-organization.

And its not just a question of need, but also building social relations and community–the links of real living politics–that struggle against the break-down of social solidarity, the cynicism and demoralization that you talked about. I think a lot of people all of the U.S. would share your experience.

What sort of labor organizing outside of the unions do you all imagine as possible ways to go? What are some campaigns going on right now that you feel are steps in the right direction? I work at a daycare center, and would like for nothing more to change my situation and those of my coworkers – and of childcare in the US in general – but am short ideas and lately hope as well. Writing like this though is pretty inspirational.

My coworkers aren’t receptive to being unionized within SEIU, and that is fine. I just don’t know what could change things for us. We all would like to make more money, but we can’t really demand it from the parents. I have daydreamed about at the very least us having a buying co-op to save on household items and maybe food, but who knows.

I know that isn’t changing the system but I feel something along those lines could go along way in getting folks to feel a small difference they can make in their lives through collective action. I feel like people are so demoralized, tired and stressed all the time – that we need to start with small things to spark the sense that we can work towards new possibilities.

Anyways I’ll end it there. I will definitely keep reading this blog!