Ideas We Should Steal: More Worker-Owned Businesses

Citizens’ assemblies bring together a sample of the population that reflects the overall demographic composition. The group gathers in person or virtually, is generally compensated in some way, receives information from experts, and then deliberate together to craft policy recommendations for government officials. Several countries, like Ireland and France, have achieved success with this form of participatory democracy.

France is among a growing number of countries piloting "citizens assemblies," in which a randomly-selected sample of citizens is tasked with reviewing and recommending potential responses to a pressing societal issue. The country's assembly on climate change resulted in more than 100 proposals for curbing greenhouse gas emissions, but because they were nonbinding, only about 40 percent of the recommendations were forwarded to parliament.

As climate change increases flooding in the area, residents of Vermont’s Tri-Park Cooperative mobile home community can relocate to safer locations out of the flood zone without increasing their monthly expenses. The offer is part of a program created by the co-op and the local government that will cover the costs of the new homes and buyouts.

As unionization efforts have ramped up in corporate workplaces, employees in less traditional industries have also begun to form independent unions to advocate for their rights. For example, unionization efforts at video game company ZeniMax helped workers secure a pay adjustment, while an independent union formed at the Art Institute of Chicago secured the right for employees to have union representation in disciplinary meetings.

The Athens Repair Café allows locals to bring in their broken items — like bikes and appliances — to be repaired by skilled volunteers in an effort to utilize a reuse model that extends the life of the items, preventing the need for purchasing replacements. The Athens Repair Café is one of 2,664 Repair Cafés worldwide registered under Repair Café International and over the past year, about 100 items have been successfully repaired.

The Diné Naazbaa Partnership (DNP) serves Navajo Nation veterans, connecting them with food, medication, transportation and other necessities, as they’re more likely to be unemployed and far less likely to use or apply for VA services. The DNP has connected with about 1,228 of the 14,700 veterans on the Navajo Nation and has partnered with 370 groups to fund projects that provide housing improvements and emergency financial aid to veterans.

Repair bonuses pay for part of the repairs necessary to keep electronics working as a way to reduce e-waste. Research calculates that the repair program in Berlin helped prevent more than 400 tons of electronic waste from entering landfills from 2021-2023.

Capitalizing on broad political-organizing pushes across the U.S., the United Farm Workers (UFW) union signed its first contract in New York, offering significant protections to about 150 orchard workers.

The South Side Queer Farmer Convergence provides culturally-affirming community gatherings that effectively reduce isolation, promote emotional healing, and foster mental wellbeing for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC farmers facing significant social stressors and discrimination.

Las Casas Trans son refugios comunitarios creados por y para mujeres trans en Bolivia que ofrecen servicios integrales de salud, apoyo psicológico, asesoría legal y oportunidades de emprendimiento, evolucionando desde espacios de asistencia básica hasta plataformas de emancipación colectiva que han atendido a más de 2,500 personas en cuatro ciudades y se expanden como modelo replicable de transformación social. Puedes leer este artículo en ingles aquí: https://solu.news/nsr4