All Things Co-op Episode List: Season 1

Season 1

Season 1 began in September 2019, and ran through February 2020.

Democratic Psychology

February 2020 (Season 1 - Episode 12)

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Cinar and Kevin discuss a recent article on political psychologist Shawn Rosenberg's thesis that human beings are not designed for democracy and that democracy as we know it is destined for failure in right wing authoritarianism. Cinar and Kevin discuss this in the context of the democratic ideals embodied in worker cooperatives. Are we really built for democracy at work?

Co-op Legislation

Guest Jason Kelly, law student

January 2020 (Season 1 - Episode 11)

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In this episode, Cinar talks with Jason Kelly, a law student, who has drafted an incredible paper on the co-op legislation and policy proposal around the United States. Cinar and Jason discuss the different approaches taken around the country and lessons for anyone pursuing cooperative legislation and policy endeavors.

Right to Own

Guest Peter Gowan, the Democracy Collaborative

January 2020 (Season 1 - Episode 10)

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In this episode, Kevin talks with Peter Gowan of the Democracy Collaborative about his recently released paper on the Right to Own policy proposal. Right to own gives workers the right to purchase business when they are being sold or closed in order to convert the businesses into worker cooperatives. Peter's paper also contains an important discussion of the need for a coop ecosystem to be able to support the goal of Right to Own proposals.

Cuba Cooperatives

Guest Camila Pineiro, Cuban cooperative business consultant

December 2019 (Season 1 - Episode 09)

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Camila Pineiro, an expert and consultant on the solidarity economy and cooperatives in Cuba, examines how the cooperative sector has evolved and the role cooperatives are playing in shaping Cuban society. A country of around 10 million people, Cuba has more than 5,000 cooperatives. As part of the reform process over the last decade, cooperatives have already achieved a prominent role in the Cuban economy and are expected to expand and develop further in the near future.

Rodney North, Co-op Consultant

Guest Rodney North, DC Cooperative Stakeholder Group

December 2019 (Season 1 - Episode 08)

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In this episode, Kevin speaks with Rodney North, a member of the DC Cooperative Stakeholder Group, a co-op consultant, and a former co-op member for many years. Rodney and Kevin discuss a number of issues related to a co-op, how one becomes a co-op consultant, and a little about the DC cooperative stakeholders group.

TightShift Labor Cooperative

Guest Juan Ried of the Tightshift Labor Cooperative

November 2019 (Season 1 - Episode 07)

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Cinar and Juan Ried of the Tightshift Labor Cooperative in Washington D.C. talk about the challenges of cooperative enterprises generally, and the added challenges of creating a labor cooperative specifically designed for citizens returning from time incarcerated. Juan gives great background on his story and why the cooperative model is the right one for re-integrating folks back into the community and doing real development of communities that have been historically and presently marginalized and criminalized.

Emilia-Romagna

Guest John Duda, the Democracy Collaborative

November 2019 (Season 1 - Episode 06)

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In this episode, Cinar sits down with John Duda from the Democracy Collaborative to discuss successful cooperative economies such as the Emilia Romagna region in northern Italy.

Why Socialism Needs Co-ops

October 2019 (Season 1 - Episode 05)

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In this episode, Kevin and Larry discuss and explore ways in which worker coops and socialist movements can work together to promote freedom, cooperation, and economic justice.

Main Street Employee Ownership Act

October 2019 (Season 1 - Episode 04)

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Kevin and Larry discuss the potential benefits of the Main Street Employment Act, which, among other things, enables the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide loan guarantees to small business and worker owned and operated cooperatives to purchase a firm which is going out of business. The SBA is gathering information how to improve the ability of worker owned and operated coops to purchase these businesses. The podcast identifies key changes which will improve the ability of cooperatives to participate in this process known as “conversion.”

Mondragon

Guest Michael Peck, US Representative of Mondragon

September 2019 (Season 1 - Episode 03)

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In this episode, we speak with Michael Peck, the US representative of Mondragon—the largest worker co-op in the world—about the history of Mondragon, how it became one of the most successful enterprises in Spain, and lessons we can take away in the movement to build worker owned co-ops in our own communities.

An Interview with Pedal People

Guest Ben Winter, Co-Owner of Pedal People

September 2019 (Season 1 - Episode 02)

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In this episode of our podcast, Cinar chats with Ben Winter of Pedal People—a worker owned co-op in Northampton Mass that uses bicycles to transport goods and provide services. We discuss how the worker co-op started and its success over these past 16 years.

Introductions

September 2019 (Season 1 - Episode 01)

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Hosts Kevin Gustafson and Larry Fenster talk about themselves and why they are collaborating on this new podcast about worker cooperatives.

OTHER SEASONS OF ALL THINGS CO-OP

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