Our worker co-op friends in NYC are up to it again! Today, May 14th, was the first ever Worker Cooperative Advocacy day in NYC. Participants from inspiring organizations such as The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA), Green Worker Cooperatives, New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives, SCO Family Services- Center for Family Life, Make the Road NY, The Working World, Urban Justice Center, US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, New Economy Project, SolidarityNYC, Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative, and the Center for Working Families all descended on City Hall for a press conference and meetings. According to our friends at the Green Worker Co
operatives:
The objectives of the day are to educate the City Council on the benefits of worker cooperatives in combating economic inequality and to request that the City of New York fund technical assistance and other support services that can aid in the development and growth of worker cooperatives. The coalition is also requesting the development of legislation that enables the growth of the worker cooperative sector.
“This is a critical moment for the Mayor and City Council to chart a new course for economic development. Instead of seeing our communities as cheap labor pools, we’re presenting another way, encouraging home grown worker-owned businesses that keep wealth in the hands of the people who created it and the communities they live in,” said Omar Freilla, Founder and Coordinator of Green Worker Cooperatives.
There is so much exciting movement happening in NYC around organizing and developing worker cooperatives. Getting City Hall behind the efforts will be a crucial step forward, and we thank these organizations for taking this important effort on.