Help Worker Co-op Moms Win $25,000!

Meet Ginger Moon, a graduate of Green Worker Cooperatives' Coop Academy. Ginger Moon is a mother-owned & run worker co-op based in the Bronx that is dedicated to providing healthy food to new moms and their families. 

They call themselves "the food doulas" because they see food as a key ingredient to ensure the health and vitality of a new mother and child. Ginger Moon provides personal chef services as well as food delivery and focuses on the dietary needs of new moms. 

GINGER MOON IS IN THE RUNNING TO WIN $25,000 in the FedEx: Small Business Big Grant challenge. AND THEY'RE THE ONLY WORKER CO-OP IN THE MIX.

VOTE FOR THEM NOW and help them win some much needed seed capital.

Vote every day (yes, its allowed) and tell your friends to do the same.

This Saturday, 1/25, a screening of Shift Change documentary

Join us for the inaugural film in the Projections series, Word Up's winter series of film screenings with local filmmakers and neighborhood collaborators!

Ecomundo Cleaning & Word Up Community Bookshop / Librería Comunitaria 

present

SHIFT CHANGE

DATE: Saturday, January 25, 2014

TIME: 6 PM

LOCATION: 2113 Amsterdam Ave. @ 165th St.

WHAT: A screening of SHIFT CHANGE (69 min.), an award-winning documentary that tells the little known stories of employee owned businesses that compete successfully in today’s economy while providing secure, dignified jobs in democratic workplaces. 

***PLUS, members of Ecomundo Cleaning—a cooperative business based in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx—will present their own experiences forming a worker coop. Worker cooperative developers will also be present to discuss the process of forming a worker coop. 

ADMISSION: $5. (Reduced to $3 if you sign up for the Word Up CSB program as a Continuing CSB Member—wordupbooks.wordpress.com/csb.)

MORE ABOUT THE FILM:

Shift Change—a documentary film by veteran award-winning filmmakers Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin—tells the little known stories of employee owned businesses that compete successfully in today’s economy while providing secure, dignified jobs in  democratic workplaces.

With the long decline in US manufacturing and today’s economic crisis, millions have been thrown out of work, and many are losing their homes. The usual economic solutions are not working, so some citizens and public officials are ready to think outside  of the box, to reinvent our failing economy in order to restore long-term community stability and a more egalitarian way of life.

There is growing interest in firms that are owned and managed by their workers. Such firms tend to be more profitable and innovative, and more committed to the communities where they are based. Yet the public has little knowledge of their success, and the promise they offer for a better life.

Shift Change encourages support for employee ownership, and provides on-the-ground experience from a variety of enterprises and locations. 

*

ECOMUNDO CLEANING is a group of mostly women (and 2 men), from Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, who have formed a cooperative business in order to ensure ourselves decent wages and healthy work conditions. Ecomundo offers green cleaning services for homes, offices, and businesses in the New York Metropolitan area. 

WORD UP COMMUNITY BOOKSHOP / LIBRERíA COMUNITARIA is a multilingual, general-interest community bookshop and arts space in Washington Heights, committed to preserving and building a neighborhood in which all residents help each other to live better informed and more expressive lives, using books as an instrument of reciprocal education and exchange, empowering not only themselves, but their community. 

A program of Seven Stories Institute, Word Up is supported by the generosity of hundreds of community donors, as well as the funding for general operating support from the NoMAA Regrant Program, made possible by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation; the Medical Center Neighborhood Fund; and the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Ambulatory Care Network.

Film website: www.shiftchange.org

Ecomundo Cleaning: www.ecomundo.coop

Word Up Community Bookshop: www.wordupbooks.com

Facebook event: facebook.com/events/1394071100847825

1st Annual NYC Worker Cooperative Conference: Economic Democracy and Economic Justice, April 19

Economic Democracy and Economic Justice: The Tale of a New City

The New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives will hold its first annual conference of presentations and discussions about economic democracy and the road to economic justice.  

The conference will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2014 at CUNY Law School. The public is invited to a day of panels, group sessions, and lectures on workplace democracy, worker cooperative businesses, and the future of economic democracy in New York City.

Register at:

https://nycworker.eventbrite.com 

or in-person on Saturday, April 19.

Date: Saturday, April 19, 2014

Time: 9 am – 5 pm

Location: CUNY Law School, 2 Court Square, Queens, NY 11101

Directions: E/M/G/7 to Court Square

Admissions: $5 - 25

Please contact info@nycworker.coop or 646.363.6311 with questions.

reRoute: Building Youth and Student Power for a New Economy, July 19-21, New York City

Announcing reRoute: Building Youth and Student Power for a New Economy

This summer join a diverse new generation of practitioners and organizers from across the US and Canada to share strategies, tools, and stories about our work creating a solidarity economy from the ground up in our communities and on our campuses. reRoute: Building Youth and Student Power for a New Economy will bring together under-40 activists dedicated to systemic change for three days, July 19-21 at New York University. 

The event is sliding scale and scholarships are available. Housing deadline is June 12th. You can learn more at www.neweconomicsinstitute/reroute or by emailing cheyennaweber@neweconomicsinstitute.org.

Full convergence program TBA but confirmed panels and workshops include:

*Pathways to a New Economy

with David Woods, Institute for Responsible Investment; Maliha Safiri, US Solidarity Economy Network; Alexa Bradley, On the Commons; Ed Whitfield, Fund for Democratic Communities, moderated by Atlee McFellin, Symcenter

*Making a Living in the New Economy

with Elandria Williams, Highlander Center; Farah Tanis, Black Women's Blueprint; Jessie Reilly, TimebanksNYC; Juliet Schor, Boston College, moderated by Joshua Stephens, NYC-based co-op developer

*Financing a New Economy

with Deyanira del Rio, Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project; Steve Wong, the Working World; Lauren Ressler, Responsible Endowments Coalition, moderated by Kenneth Edusei, SolidarityNYC

*Teaching and Learning a New Economics

with Renaud Girac, University of Quebec; Brian Kelly, US Society for Ecological Economics; Olivia Geiger, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, moderated by Keith Harrington, New School

*Success Stories from the New Economics Institute Campus Network

with Sachie Hopkins Hayakawa, Swarthmore Mountain Justice; Marcie Hawkins-Smith, North Carolina Student New Economy Coalition; Joel Williams, the Oak Tree Spokane; David Porinchok, Northern Arizona University Action Research Program, moderated by Farhad Ebrahimi, The Chorus Foundation

Fossil Fuel Divestment and Beyond – Responsible Endowments Coalition

Possibilities For Participatory Budgeting – Participatory Budgeting Greensboro

Food Justice and The New Economy – CoFED and Mariposa Food Co-op

Building Political Power for a New Economy– SolidarityNYC/Philadelphia 

Co-op Alliance

Can The Economics Curriculum Be Reformed?  Lessons From Activists In France and Quebec – PEPS / Horizons Economiques

Universities As Anchors For A Sustainable And Just Food Economy – Real Food Challenge

Mapping The New Economy – Shareable/Data Commons Project/Solidarity NYC

How To Start A Worker Co-op – Cooperative Development Institute

Non-hierarchical Staffing Structures – North American Students Of Cooperation

Bringing Solidarity Home: creating alternative housing economies through 

cooperative living – NASCO

Timebanks From New York to California – Timebanks NYC/Bay Area Community Exchange

Cooperative and Democratic Leadership--AORTA

We'll also be offering solidarity economy tours of Brooklyn on Friday.

NYC Bookkeeping Co-op startup looking for new members

A Bookkeeping Cooperative (ABC) is looking for two experienced bookkeepers or accountants based in NYC to bring our start-up cooperative to a higher level. We are a worker-owned cooperative that offers day-to-day bookkeeping services to cooperatives, non-profits, social justice endeavors, alternative healthcare practitioners and small community-based businesses. We offer:

- Full charge bookkeeping services
- Quickbooks set-up and troubleshooting
- Liaising with accountants for tax reporting
- Bookkeeping and financial literacy training for our clients
- Other day-to-day operations for our clients (paying bills, filing, etc.)

We are looking for a rockstar bookkeeper or accountant to take on an average of 4-10 hours of work a week and who is interested in democracy at work. This person should be able to meet bi-weekly for cooperative development discussions. We are looking for someone who has 1-3 years experience at a minimum doing bookkeeping or accounting. Any of the below would be bonuses:

- Bi-lingual (Spanish and English)
- A network of referrals for business services, and ability to bring on new clients
- Flexible schedule to cover clients in the NYC area while fellow members are sick or on vacation
- Interested in project management in website development (for us), payroll processing (for our clients and for us), incorporation (for us)
- Commitment to building a new business, cooperatively, and ability to contribute to sweat equity hours after your 6 month trial (300 hours in the first 2 years, about 15 hours a month)

We can offer:

- Bookkeeping work: many flexible part-time jobs (~4-15 hours/week starting from our current and growing client base)
- A knowledge base of best practices in bookkeeping for co-ops and non-profits, radical HR, and tax law, that we want you to help build and contribute to
- A good wage, and an opportunity to co-own the business and share profit
- Community: you don’t have to be a lonely freelancer anymore - we continually become better bookkeepers from communicating and sharing ideas and jobs
- A prize-winning business plan to guarantee our success

We are working towards offering benefits and profit sharing. Any unbilled time you spend on business development would be considered “love” to this endeavor and count toward sweat equity.

The cooperative track is a 6-month trial period with an affordable and/or pay over time buy-in. The co-op has two founding members and a DAWN intern.

Please submit resumes and a letter describing why you would be a perfect match to info@bookkeeping.coop.

Worker Co-op 101 in NYC 1/17

Date: Thursday, January 17th

Time: 6 - 8 pm

Place: NEDAP, 176 Grand Street, Suite 300, New York, NY 10013

Trains: N/R/Q/6/J/Z to Canal Street; B/D to Grand Street

Please email info@nycworker.coop with any questions.

Fundraising for the new cohort of Green Worker Cooperatives

The Next Wave of Co-ops are here! 

The Spring semester of the Coop Academy, our business boot camp for cooperative start-ups, is less than a month away. But before any of the four teams of aspiring cooperative entrepreneurs are able to benefit from the aggressive combination of training, coaching, and technical services such as legal incorporation, graphic design, and website development, first they have to fundraise for their course registration fee ($550 per team member).

It’s their first assignment as a team. We request you donate to one, several or all of these start-up cooperatives. Your donation is their access to training and resources, a network of support, and of course … success. Think of it as an investment in the creation of the economy you’ve always dreamed of.

Make a donation today … then tell your friends.

The Next Wave

1. The Women Of Color and LGBTQ Healing Arts Collectivewill provide holisitc health services to the Bronx by and for womyn of color and the LGBTQ community. The collective will operate out of the Casa Atabex Ache/House of Womyn’s Power in the South Bronx.

2. POPis an online feminist zine created by and for young women of color from the Bronx. It grew out of W.O.M.E.N. (Where Our Minds Empower Needs), a young women’s group at The Point CDC in the South Bronx and aims to fight back oppressive images and talk about women of color in a more positive, complex, and real manner. Watch their amazing video!

3. Eco Rydersis a group of young people dedicated to teaching Bronx youth about the environment and social issues through green skateboard design. They operate out of The Point CDC in the South Bronx.Watch their inspiring video!

4. The NYC Student Credit Union will be a student-owned and operated credit union within the CUNY university system providing financial services tailored to the special needs of students.

 

Job posting: massage therapist, Third Root, Brooklyn NY

Looking for Massage Therapist for Third Root Community Health Center in Brooklyn

Third Root Community Health Center is a worker-owned cooperative of 10 acupuncturists, yoga teachers, massage therapists and herbalists in Flatbush, Brooklyn.  We strive to thrive and achieve social justice and community wellness by providing holistic, collaborative care in an accessible and sustainable manner. Our greatest intention is to watch students and patients walk out of the center with a heightened perspective regarding their own potential for good health.  We offer a sliding scale and scholarships for all of our services. 

Third Root is looking to hire a NYS licensed massage therapist to start the third week in February 2013. This person would work one weekend day and 1-2 weeknights. We are looking for someone with a background in social justice and who is excited to offer massages to people of color, queer and trans people, survivors, immigrant communities, and the lower-income folks that Third Root prioritizes. Applicants will need to show a past commitment to social justice and experience in working with the above communities.  We ask for a 6 month committment & many other benefits to being part of the community of healers at Thirdroot. 

Interested candidates should thoroughly browse our website, www.thirdroot.org, and submit a cover letter and resume to stephen@thirdroot.org. We will be accepting applicants through Feb 1st, and interviews shortly therafter.  Be well! And please forward widely.

Job Posting: ROC-UNITED COLORS EVENTS AND PROJECT COORDINATOR

Hello friends!  I am hiring, please help circulate:    http://www.idealist.org/view/job/J4nX9T7H8b3p/

ROC-UNITED COLORS EVENTS AND PROJECT COORDINATOR JOB OPENING
The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United) is a national restaurant workers’ organization dedicated to winning improved conditions for the nation's restaurant workers. Founded initially after 9/11 by restaurant workers displaced from the World Trade Center, ROC has grown into a national organization with over 9000 members in nine states. Over the last ten years ROC-United has won ten campaigns for restaurant workers against exploitative employers, winning over $5,000,000 in unpaid wages and discrimination payments for restaurant workers, as well as improvement in working conditions; published 15 reports on the industry; won a statewide minimum wage increase in New York; opened two worker-owned restaurants, COLORS of New York and Detroit, and much more. ROC affiliates in New York Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Houston, and Philadelphia all engage in three areas of work: waging campaigns for justice against low-road employers; promoting responsible employers taking the ‘high road’ to profitability; and conducting research and policy work to lift conditions industry-wide.

ROC seeks a COLORS Events and Project Coordinator.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under direct supervision of the National High Road Coordinator of ROC-U, the COLORS Events and Project Coordinator will engage in the following:
1) Assist COLORS with building and maintaining relationships with local organizations, unions, firms, and other entities as one sees fit to establish COLORS in NY’s catering and events market,
2) Increase sales and revenue at COLORS within 3 month,
3) Lead COLORS to a balanced budget within 6 months,
4) Assist the National High Road Coordinator with developing, implementing, and evaluating a new concept for COLORS NY,
5) Provide technical assistance to local ROC affiliates on the design and implementation of new worker cooperative structures, particularly in New Orleans, LA, and DC,
6) Assist COLORS NY and COLORS Detroit in implementing their marketing concept and maximizing overall business activities,
7) Other responsibilities as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:
- Restaurant management experience
- Familiarity with worker cooperative model structure, experience with worker cooperatives a major plus
- Events coordination experience
- Significant network of relationships nationwide within worker cooperative organizations
- Strong financial management skills
- Significant network of relationships with NY organizations, unions, wedding planners, and others who would use COLORS for events and catering

- Knowledge of menu development for parties and menu pricing
- Strong Guest Service & Front of the House Skills a plus
- Knowledge of workforce development and/or relevant adult teaching experience a plus
- Understanding of community/labor organizing
- Demonstrated commitment to racial, social, and economic justice

COMPENSATION Negotiable based on experience, plus benefits. Immigrants, women, and people of color encouraged to apply. Send cover letter and resume to cathy@rocunited.org

Donate to 4 Aspiring Worker Co-ops

There are four amazing nascent worker cooperatives raising funds now to participate in the Green Worker Cooperatives Co-op Academy Fall 2012 session. Give them a boost! http://ioby.org/campaign/green-worker-cooperatives-coop-academy-fall-2012.

Job posting: Worker Co-op Developer, Brooklyn NY

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT – June 29, 2012
Cooperative Developer 
For the Center for Family Life’s Worker Cooperative Incubation Program

The Center for Family Life in Sunset Park promotes and supports the founding of cooperative businesses as part of our community development initiative. Under the auspices of our Adult Employment Program, we have partnered with community members and incubated five worker cooperatives since June 2006 and one collective. Our work as consultants and facilitators to the Sunset Park cooperatives has assisted greatly in their business development and financial growth. Our work has gained recognition by Speaker Christine Quinn, the GEO Collective, the UN 2012 Year of the Cooperatives, and other organizations nationwide who are looking to create their own cooperative incubation programs in immigrant neighborhoods as a way to increase economic development.

A successful Cooperative Developer would have:

• A strong interest/background in community organizing, worker/immigrant rights and, worker-cooperative business development.
• 2-3 years experience with social group work including meeting facilitation and coordination, democratic decision-making and mediation. Groups will range from 15 to 40 people.
• Ability to learn quickly and be interested in developing a variety of new skills; be able to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines; have the ability to work both autonomously and with groups. 
• Willingness to engage with the cooperative members, the customers of the coops, and other individuals and organizations supporting the development of the cooperative businesses.
• Experience interacting with the press as well as supporting cooperative members with public speaking engagements.
• Superior organizational, interpersonal and communication skills; demonstrated experience of written and oral presentation skills.
• Entrepreneurial/Business skills are preferred. 

Responsibilities will include:

• Serving as the main Developer for the Sunset Park Cooperatives. Provide consultation based on the developmental stage of each coop.
• Attend weekly coop meetings in the evenings and weekends.
• Support the various coop committees and the development of leadership of those members in particular.
• Support the office managers of the various coops and the respective office committees.
• Develop new cooperatives based on the readiness and interest of CFL and the community members.
• Collaborate with ED and Development Staff in seeking ongoing project funding and reporting to current funders.
• Coordinate process of legal incorporation and governance of coops with attorneys. 
• Development of ongoing technical and leadership trainings.
• Develop, review and assist in implementing marketing strategy with coop members.  
• Assist in maintaining customer contact database / member information. 
• Work with members to develop sales promotions, e-newsletters, and updates to the website.
• Outreach to media.
• Attend annual cooperative conferences.

Geographic Location: Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York.

Supervision: The Cooperative Developer will report to the Cooperative Coordinator. Ongoing weekly supervision will be provided.

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours/week. Schedule varies week to week. There is an average of 1-3 evening meetings per week and some weekend meetings. 

Languages: Able to write, read and speak fluently in Spanish and English.


Qualifications:

• B.A. or M.A. level in Social Work, Sociology, or other related field. Business development experience is preferred.
• Experience with community organizing.
• Experience with working in Latino/a immigrant communities. Work in other immigrant communities is a plus.
• Must be a strong verbal and written communicator in English and Spanish.
• Experience with media, and communications messaging a plus.

Salary: Commensurate with experience.

Benefits: Full health benefits, vacation and sick leave.

Application Process:
Applicants for the Cooperative Developer position should submit their full resume along with a cover letter that includes salary requirements by email to Vanessa Bransburg, Cooperative Coordinator, at vbransburg@cflsp.org. Subject line should include: “Cooperative Developer position”.

The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2012.
Applications received after that time will not be considered.

The Center for Family Life, which is a program of SCO Family of Services, is an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, LGBTQI identified people and people with disabilities are strongly urged to apply.

"Fixing the Future" documentary screenings July 18

In Fixing the Future, public media star David Brancaccio (of Marketplace and NOW on PBS) visits locations across America that are attempting a revolution: the reinvention of the American economy. By featuring communities using sustainable and innovative approaches to create jobs and build prosperity, Fixing the Future inspires hope and renewal amidst economic collapse. The film highlights effective local practices such as: community banking, local business alliances, time banking/exchange, worker cooperatives and local currencies. Following the film will be an exclusive onscreen discussion panel featuring Bill McKibben, Majora Carter, Mike Brady and David Brancaccio.


In each screening location, local groups working on implementing grassroots solutions to the economic crisis will facilitate a discussion and brainstorming session. 


Screenings are being held on Wednesday, July 18 in:

• Worcester, MA, co-sponsored by Worcester Roots (buy tickets)
• New York, NY, sponsored by the NYC Network of Worker Cooperatives (buy tickets)
• Portland, ME, co-sponsored by Hour Exchange Portland, Local Sprouts Co-op, & others 

...and loads more locations throughout the Northeast and the U.S. Find a screening near you!

Fundraiser for Center for Family Life May 30

PLEASE JOIN US   CENTER FOR FAMILY LIFE's       Celebrating Community 2012   MAY 30, 2012    Honoring:   Yehudah Rose Member of Center for Family Life's Governing Body and Founder of SnowSprint Capital  and   Gowri Krishna Fordham University School of Law   Why-Q Open House Lofts,  75 Greene Street, New York City INDIVIDUAL TICKETS: $125 The Center gratefully accepts a fully tax-deductible contribution of corporate matching gifts—if your employer can match your donation. EVENT ADVERTISING: $500 ONE-LINE GREETING: $100 Your ad with organization name and logo, or your name and personal greeting, will be displayed at the event and acknowledged on the Center for Family Life website.   To purchase a ticket or an ad in the event journal, please contact brexkiss@cflsp.org for more information!