Work Co-op

Insert Consensed Upon Mission Statement

OWS Work Co-op
Primary portal page: Projects
Starting a cooperatively owned and operated space for the Occupy Movement This project is located at: New York Working group: Outreach Date formed: February 7th, 2012 Online presence: E-mail list: Listserv Schedule: Mondays at 2pm, location TBD Status: active and in development

Mission Statement Ideas

Let's figure out what our mission statement should say. We seem to be in agreement that we want to create a cafe/bar that would serve as an intentional space for revolutionary minds. What agreements do we want people in this space to abide by?

Business Model Ideas

What do we want the ownership structure to look like? How do we create an ownership structure that allows those of us mired in debt to work without risking the business? If we are running a cafe with seating for 25 and are open on a daily basis how many people do we need/can we employ and at what rate of pay? We seem to be in agreement that a portion of our profits should go into helping other work co-ops get off the ground.

Potential Locations

• Ridgewood
• Bushwick
• Crown Heights
• Fort Greene
• Bed-Stuy

Funding Ideas

• cooperative loan funds
• grant funding
• OMG
• Kickstarter

Brainstorming

What's your vision for the space? Feel free to add any potential ideas so we can build on each others' thoughts!

Cooperative Models

What are the different cooperative models currently in existence? What do we like, what don't we like?

General Resources

• US Federation of Workers' Cooperatives
• Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives includes two introductions to starting a worker cooperative. A good introductory resource.

Existing Cooperatives in NYC

• Blue Stockings
• Colors (formed after 9/11)