I drink your milkshake! a metaphor for capitalism
- Thread starter rickyb
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Catatonic
Nine Lives
Exactly but he is entertaining and harmless.
Can't fix stupid ... both sides.
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
Not according to that interview you keep posting. The co-op is run by a board of directors that's voted in by the shareholders, just like every corporation. The profits all go to the corporation for "reinvestment." The alleged gain is, I guess, in an increased equity in the company if you own shares, but they claim to want to continually increase employment which will dilute every worker's equity stake. The workers have no increased risk and have very little increased gain if any.
this is just mondragon. some people call it a semi cooperative; not sure what they mean by that. in the union cab coop video above she specifically said "we share the risk" because the workers collectively own it, whereas in a traditional corporation you may own little to nothing.
AMY GOODMAN: Mikel, can you explain how the management structure works? What does it mean to say worker-owners?
MIKEL LEZAMIZ: OK. Yes, we set up the most important things, therefore, in the cooperatives is the general assembly, the general assembly formed by all the workers that are the members of this cooperative. For example, going to Fagor domestic appliances, they are at this moment 2,500 workers, producing washing machine, dishwashers, the refrigerator, and then so on—2,500. And they set up at least once a year the general assembly in order to make the most important decision and decide the strategy, the annual report, and to approve the annual report, and then so on. And in this case, it’s the general assembly who makes the decision. But after that, we choose the governing council—the board of directors, you say—the governing council, that in the case of Fagor, they have 12 people—president, vice president, secretary and another nine. In the small cooperatives, there are maybe only three or maybe five, seven, nine; or being big, 12 people. And this governing council set up at least once a month in order to make the decision every month. And they choose the general manager, the CEO, in order to execute and to manage the company, and in this case, to propose the important decision. But it’s the governing council that makes the decision. It’s not the general manager. And after that, the general manager has the finance director, the people director, production director, marketing director, as they need.
AMY GOODMAN: The United States, in the corporate media, capitalism is equated with democracy, so you question capitalism, you’re questioning democracy. Yet you provide an alternative to capitalism, the Mondragon cooperatives, where people live very well, and they—and no one has lost their jobs, you say. Explain how it works. Is this an alternative?
MIKEL LEZAMIZ: We—always we say that we prefer to work in our own way. We don’t want to create conflicts between us and with the others and with the capitalists and then so on. We think that in this century, in this 21st century, that everybody has a lot of knowledge. Every worker, and so, at this moment, in most of the countries, that the workers are not illiterate. So, and they have a lot of information and a lot of training. Today, the management model, also the management system, should be more participative, more democratical, because everybody wants to—everybody knows a lot, and everybody can participate, and it will be much better for them. And in this case, we think that—we don’t say that it’s another way or—no, we say that this is good for everybody. If everybody can make their own decision, it’s much better for them and for the society, because, after that, the aims is not to resolve my own problems. We have to resolve—or we have to develop the society, because our mission is to create wealth within the society. Our mission is not to earn money. Our mission is to create wealth within the society.
How? Through entrepreneurial development and job creation. That is our aim. And in this case, we think that democracy is much better for everyone, if participation possibilities is much better for everybody. And trying to be in solidarity—and being in solidarity, we can develop the community. And for that reason, we think, OK, this is maybe another way, or not, but this is—we think that it’s a very human way, a better human way than another one. And we think that it’s possible to compete with everyone, being a cooperative and being ownership. And we think that in the future, in this 21st century, all the things, all the ways, all the affairs, also the business, should came to this idea of giving the participation possibility to everyone, and not to only one people or 10 people making the decision, and the others has to continue, has to work behind this decision.
MIKEL LEZAMIZ: We—always we say that we prefer to work in our own way. We don’t want to create conflicts between us and with the others and with the capitalists and then so on. We think that in this century, in this 21st century, that everybody has a lot of knowledge. Every worker, and so, at this moment, in most of the countries, that the workers are not illiterate. So, and they have a lot of information and a lot of training. Today, the management model, also the management system, should be more participative, more democratical, because everybody wants to—everybody knows a lot, and everybody can participate, and it will be much better for them. And in this case, we think that—we don’t say that it’s another way or—no, we say that this is good for everybody. If everybody can make their own decision, it’s much better for them and for the society, because, after that, the aims is not to resolve my own problems. We have to resolve—or we have to develop the society, because our mission is to create wealth within the society. Our mission is not to earn money. Our mission is to create wealth within the society.
How? Through entrepreneurial development and job creation. That is our aim. And in this case, we think that democracy is much better for everyone, if participation possibilities is much better for everybody. And trying to be in solidarity—and being in solidarity, we can develop the community. And for that reason, we think, OK, this is maybe another way, or not, but this is—we think that it’s a very human way, a better human way than another one. And we think that it’s possible to compete with everyone, being a cooperative and being ownership. And we think that in the future, in this 21st century, all the things, all the ways, all the affairs, also the business, should came to this idea of giving the participation possibility to everyone, and not to only one people or 10 people making the decision, and the others has to continue, has to work behind this decision.
i know someone who works at UPS and i asked him why do the drivers work so hard and he said because if they dont, then they will have more work tomorrow. and i dont get why they dont just work 40 hours and not work so hard, and his only explanation was no one will help you if you do that...
makes no sense, but anyways if you like working as hard as you can then do what you like.
makes no sense, but anyways if you like working as hard as you can then do what you like.
the average in capitalist corporations in america is 350x i believe. walmart ceo earns 1100x.
AMY GOODMAN: The wage differential between the highest paid in Mondragon and the lowest-paid workers, Mikel?
MIKEL LEZAMIZ: In most of the cooperatives, the biggest differences between the top and the low is one to 4.5 times, 4.5 times. But the biggest, the CEO of Mondragon, is earning six times the minimum minimum salary.
AMY GOODMAN: The wage differential between the highest paid in Mondragon and the lowest-paid workers, Mikel?
MIKEL LEZAMIZ: In most of the cooperatives, the biggest differences between the top and the low is one to 4.5 times, 4.5 times. But the biggest, the CEO of Mondragon, is earning six times the minimum minimum salary.
i know someone who works at UPS and they changed the wage progression from 2.5 years to maximum rate to 4 years.
keep defending capitalism, a broken economic model, and maybe they'll increase it to 6 years or even 10
but dont worry, these are hard times for UPS with record corporate profits.
keep defending capitalism, a broken economic model, and maybe they'll increase it to 6 years or even 10
but dont worry, these are hard times for UPS with record corporate profits.
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
I only make about 2.5 times my employee's starting pay. I guess my corporation is doing a better job at income equality than most cooperatives.
yea so what is the income inequality of most cooperatives?
oldngray
nowhere special
who even knew? i remember richard wolff mentioning it.
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
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