After a long stretch of minimal travel, I’ve got a 6am flight to Pittsburgh tomorrow. I’ll be doing a couple of talks at the Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy, including reading from my book “Holy Cooperation!” and co-presenting an introduction to how worker cooperatives fit into the broader co-op movement.
The easterners put on a good conference, with a good and abundant mix of workshops. They have great connections to organizations that look to other forms of employee ownership and democratic management, including the Ohio Employee Ownership Center and the Vermont Employee Ownership Center. They have also fostered valuable connections to other social movements, especially labor. This year’s keynote is author Francis Moore Lappe, which is a pretty good catch.
I had a half-day stopover in Pittsburgh last January, as part of my whirlwind five-week book tour. I’m very excited to go back, and spend more than a few freezing hours in this gritty, beautiful and history-rich city. Stay tuned…
In other news, the International Labour Organization has just released a report on how cooperatives have excelled in times of financial crisis, due to their structural resilience. A little light reading for my flight.
Cooperate and No One Gets Hurt 