FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Helen Matthews, Center for Economic Democracy, homefries@economicdemocracy.us, 617-784-1731
Boston, MA — Massachusetts Governor Healey has formally proclaimed October 2024 "Massachusetts Cooperatives Month". Celebrating this proclamation, the Center for Economic Democracy's Solidarity Economy Initiative (SEI), with support from the Massachusetts Coalition for Worker Ownership and Power (COWOP), has just released "Cooperatizing Boston: Advancing Municipal Support for Worker Ownership", a blueprint for how the City of Boston can support the growing sector of worker-owned cooperatives.
A worker-owned cooperative is a business that is owned and governed by its workers. Amid rising economic inequality, a wave of retiring small business owners grappling with selling or shuttering their enterprises, a growing number of newly-arrived immigrants seeking employment, and a critical need for resilience, this report presents a bold approach for fostering an economy based on shared ownership, democratic governance, and community wealth-building.
In recent years, worker-owned cooperatives have proven their capacity to thrive, even amid economic uncertainty. Massachusetts alone has seen the number of worker-owned cooperatives triple over the last decade, highlighting the strength of cooperative models for fostering inclusive economic growth.
"Cooperatizing Boston" provides concrete recommendations for how local government and grassroots leaders can work together to support worker-owned cooperatives and empower communities of color, immigrants, and working-class residents.
"Worker-owned cooperatives are uniquely positioned to challenge the ‘business-as-usual’ approach," said Monique Nguyen, a former member of the Solidarity Economy Initiative and current Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Advancement in Boston.
"By reimagining economic development with Boston’s communities at the center, we have the opportunity to build a more just and sustainable city," said Nguyen.
The report highlights practical steps for the City of Boston to promote cooperatives as a cornerstone of a solidarity economy, including recommendations to enhance municipal support for technical assistance, expand financing options, and increase the visibility of cooperatives. "Cooperatizing Boston" calls on city leaders, grassroots organizers, and cooperative members to seize this moment, building an economy where people come before profits.
Read the full report at https://bit.ly/CoopBoston.
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Boston, MA — Massachusetts Governor Healey has formally proclaimed October 2024 "Massachusetts Cooperatives Month". Celebrating this proclamation, the Center for Economic Democracy's Solidarity Economy Initiative (SEI), with support from the Massachusetts Coalition for Worker Ownership and Power (COWOP), has just released "Cooperatizing Boston: Advancing Municipal Support for Worker Ownership", a blueprint for how the City of Boston can support the growing sector of worker-owned cooperatives.
A worker-owned cooperative is a business that is owned and governed by its workers. Amid rising economic inequality, a wave of retiring small business owners grappling with selling or shuttering their enterprises, a growing number of newly-arrived immigrants seeking employment, and a critical need for resilience, this report presents a bold approach for fostering an economy based on shared ownership, democratic governance, and community wealth-building.
In recent years, worker-owned cooperatives have proven their capacity to thrive, even amid economic uncertainty. Massachusetts alone has seen the number of worker-owned cooperatives triple over the last decade, highlighting the strength of cooperative models for fostering inclusive economic growth.
"Cooperatizing Boston" provides concrete recommendations for how local government and grassroots leaders can work together to support worker-owned cooperatives and empower communities of color, immigrants, and working-class residents.
"Worker-owned cooperatives are uniquely positioned to challenge the ‘business-as-usual’ approach," said Monique Nguyen, a former member of the Solidarity Economy Initiative and current Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Advancement in Boston.
"By reimagining economic development with Boston’s communities at the center, we have the opportunity to build a more just and sustainable city," said Nguyen.
The report highlights practical steps for the City of Boston to promote cooperatives as a cornerstone of a solidarity economy, including recommendations to enhance municipal support for technical assistance, expand financing options, and increase the visibility of cooperatives. "Cooperatizing Boston" calls on city leaders, grassroots organizers, and cooperative members to seize this moment, building an economy where people come before profits.
Read the full report at https://bit.ly/CoopBoston.
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