[S9 E27]
This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on "regulatory capture" in the U.S. vs E.U., the IMF report on the U.S. economy finds major negatives and how Trump's desperation for re-election shapes his aggressive policies towards the Federal Reserve, China and Mexico.
In the second half of the show, Professor Wolff interviews John Duda from the Democracy Collaborative and one of the founders of Red Emma's Book store Coffeehouse, a 30-member worker cooperative in Baltimore.
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Prof. Wolff's latest book "Understanding Marxism"
Paperback: http://bit.ly/2BH0lkL
Ebook: https://bit.ly/2K6iI8v
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John Duda is the Director of Communications at the Democracy Collaborative, a research and development lab for the democratic economy. In addition to his work at the Collaborative advancing systemic economic solutions that center democratic models of ownership and control, John has fifteen years of practical experience with worker cooperatives as a co-founder of Baltimore's Red Emma's, a worker cooperative bookstore and restaurant.
Showing 3 comments
I have heard a phantastic story about solidarity shown by the US workers (automobile) with the Mexican (automobile) strikers (US relocation automobile spare parts in Mexico). If this is true this is really a breakthrough of international workers power! Could you comment on this? Thank you for your information.
Frigga Karl
Since your looking for good examples of co-ops, In my opinion, a great example would be the “Chios Mastic Growers Association” located on the Greek Island of Chios.
It is an 80 year old organization, its associates are farmers that grow a very scarce resource – a natural gum, with significant healing properties.
This approx. 5000 farmer association has the exclusive right to grow this very valuable resource, its value may be compared to gold.
Recently a Museum was erected in order to describe how the growing of this gum has been made for thousands of years.
Within the museum the history of the island is described in parallel to the growth of this chewing gum. The Byzantines, the Genoese and the Turks in turn held exclusive rights to the growing of this resource , while the population of the island kept only a part of the value of this resource – when not brutalized by war and genocide.
In my opinion, the message that the Museum is trying to get across, is:
(as far as Mastic Production is concerned)
>The brutality of past forms of production are “history”, along with feudalism and >colonialism, now the exclusive rights belong to the farmers through the Growers >Association.
Which is probably interesting for your research and me as audience.
Please note that I am not affiliated with this organization or live anymore on Chios Island, All I know is that it has still impeccable reputation
as I visited it a couple of days ago.
In any case please do your research:
https://www.gummastic.gr/en/company/history
https://www.gummastic.gr/en/mastihavillages/information
https://www.gummastic.gr/en/gallery/mastiha-tree
All the best,
Evangelos