| Why a worker-owned cooperative?
Cooperatives have been around
throughout history in many forms. People join together for a common
good to develop a cooperative. Native Americans often stored their food
cooperatively. The colonists formed cooperatives for fire protection.
They also built cooperative libraries. Ben Franklin was one of the
early cooperative developers in the colonies.
Members of a cooperative
gain something by being a member. Dairy farmers may join dairy co-ops
to sell and promote their milk and milk products. During the
depression, hundreds of farmer cooperative were started by the government.
In rural areas, there are still many gas, electric, and farm cooperatives.
Cooperative Care developed
as a cooperative to give direct care givers ownership of their home and
personal care business. How does this make our services better?
- Direct care givers have to pay for a
membership in the co-op. If you are going to have to pay, you are
more serious about wanting to work for the company and stay in this field
of work.
- Since direct care givers are owners, they
learn about and discover the effect that their work has on the business.
They self monitor and peer mentor co-owners so that all members represent
the organization in a positive way.
- At the end of the year, net profit is
divided between all working members, according to how many hours they
worked. There is incentive to run an efficient business and this
patronage refund means that earnings is more than in other private home
care businesses, there is less turn over and better longevity of workers.
- Direct care givers make policies. The
board of directors is elected by the member owners from the membership of
direct care workers. Policies are client focused and worker focused,
avoiding bureaucratic decision making and top-down management.
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