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For real though I'm tired of being alienated from my labor. Does anyone here have experience working with or starting a worker coop?
I and 3 others started a tech and publishing co-op just before the pandemic. Unfortunately, we are mostly non-functional right now due to lack of clients, but I'd be happy to compare notes and share any info that we learned.
That seems like unfortunate timing :/ . I'm definitely curious to learn more about your co-op though! Would you prefer to share in DMs?
What industry are you thinking? I live in the midwest, where agricultural coops are very common. I might be able to reach to someone for information.
I'm pretty open minded regarding industry, Im really more concerned with external impacts of the job (which sounds loftier than it is, the goal is to have a neutral or better effect on the community / environment / etc). Coincidentally I'm also in the Midwest and agriculture sounds interesting. Fwiw I'm currently a tech worker and don't really know anything about the ag industry though
If you're in the mid-west, you're probably surrounded by coops and don't realize it. I'm actually working on a PhD in computer science, I'd be interested in looking into some kind of tech co-op as well.
Yeah, definitely seems that way. Its pretty cool that ag has so many co-ops. I was under the impression that a good amount of them aren't necessarily structured as a worker co-op (I think ive seen the term seller co-op before?), but I am very ignorant to how those actually work/how specific ag co-ops might work.
What field of CS are you doing your PhD in?
I was under the impression that a good amount of them aren't necessarily structured as a worker co-op (I think ive seen the term seller co-op before?)
So it's pretty complex, and I am only marginally connected to these, so I may get some details wrong. But, yes, at the lowest level, it is farmers who own their land and private property forming a coop to collectively sell their harvest. But those co-ops themselves often form a tiered co-op. Land-O'-Lakes is a big brand that is a tier 3 co-op!
My specifically field is niche enough hat it's very possible to dox me from it, but it has to do with responsible AI.
Producers' co-ops, buyers co-ops, and workers' co-ops are all very distinct from each other though.
I have a bunch of co-op ideas loaded, and elaborated to various degrees. The more detailed ones come from working minimum wage jobs and "peeking under the hood" of the companies I was working for.
I'd be lost if I tried to plot out the path to a tech co-op though.