For the first time we’re having a stand at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival. We’d be delighted to see you there at our stand in the Martyrs Marquee on Saturday and Sunday 19th/20th July

We’ll be launching our revised Manifesto, with printed copies, and our new lapel badge will be available (donations please).

Download the Manifesto here: union-coops-uk Manifesto 2025

‘Harlan County’ and ‘American Dream’ – Free Online Screening until May 20th

Oscar-Winning ‘Harlan County’ and ‘American Dream’ Screen Virtually In Honor of May Day Free and On Demand Now Thru May 20th (Tues, 10PM ET) Watch Page Share: bit.ly/WatchWUFF14 These classic films from Barbara Kopple document two memorable and heartbreaking strikes – one between coal miners in the 1970s and the Duke Power company, who refused to recognize their union, and another among workers at Hormel Foods in the 1980s after their wages and benefits were cut. Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. Featuring a haunting soundtrack – with legendary country and bluegrass artists Hazel Dickens, Merle Travis, Sarah Gunning, and Florence Reece – the film is a heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line. (103 min, 1976, Director: Barbara Kopple) (Trailer) American Dream – “The people in this film are so real they make most movie characters look like inhabitants of the funny page. Families are torn apart. One brother goes back to work, another stays on the picket lines. Workers have tears in their eyes as they describe not being able to support their families. It becomes clear that no possible win by the members of P-9 could compensate them for the wages they have already lost – especially as they are striking, not for a raise, but against a pay cut. A nobility creeps onto the scene, as people make enormous financial and personal sacrifices simply for what they believe is morally right. Our hearts are torn, because on the basis of this film we are not sure they have chosen the wisest path. […] Is there a lesson at the end of “American Dream”? I think there is. I think the lesson is that the American tradition of collective bargaining will break down if companies can simply ignore a legal strike, hire replacements, and continue as before. There was a time in American history when such behavior by management would have been seen as not only illegal but immoral. The new management philosophers who won ascendency in the 1980s dismiss such views as sentimentalism. They are concerned only with the bottom line, where they see profits, not people.” – Roger Ebert (98 min, 1990, Directors: Barbara Kopple, Cathy Caplan, and Thomas Haneke) (Trailer) Make A Donation to Support These Screenings Watch Page Fight for Democracy To watch, all you need is a free login on Eventive (you’ll be prompted when getting a ticket). Once adding a film to your account, you can also choose to watch on your TV by downloading the “Eventive TV” app. May virtual screenings are sponsored in part by the DC Labor Film Fest and the Global Film Festival Network.   Watch Page

As the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC) celebrates its twentieth anniversary in 2024, July marks seventeen years since the founding of its oldest member council – the Union Co-ops Council. Established to bridge worker cooperatives and organized labor, the Council has become a crucial player in both movements, fueled by the resurgence of unions and worker co-ops throughout the beginning of the 21st century. Just as the USFWC concludes its first twenty years with renewed energy, ambition, and capacity, the Union Co-op Council also reflects on its successes and sets a clear path forward to advance worker ownership and power.

Formation

The Union Co-ops Council was conceived at the Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy (ECWD) in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2007, when a group of organizers came together to address the divide between unions and worker cooperatives. Early co-directors Mary Hoyer and Lis Ryder, experienced in both unions and worker cooperatives, noticed a lack of networking between these movements.

Read the full blog article at: https://geo.coop/articles/union-co-ops-council-seventeen-years-forging-worker-alliances 

The local union is looking to join the New York based Drivers’ Cooperative after the ride-share platforms threatened to leave the city over a minimum wage hike

Taxi drivers in Minneapolis could form a co-op after ride-hailed platforms Uber and Lyft threatened to leave the city over a new minimum wage.

A new local ordinance in the Minnesota city has imposed a minimum wage of $1.40 per mile and 51 cents per minute for drivers. Uber and Lyft say this is not sustainable and have vowed to pull out of the city on 1 May.

“We support a minimum earning standard for drivers, but it should be done in an honest way that keeps the service affordable for riders,” said a Lyft spokesperson. Continue reading →

“This is the story of how ordinary people made extraordinary things a lifestyle,” says a newly released promotional video launched by the ICA.

In three minutes, the video explains how the ICA plays a key role in connecting cooperatives around the world, advocating for the interests and successes of cooperatives worldwide and collaborating with global and regional institutions to promote the model.

The video has been produced by Bruna, a worker cooperative from Barcelona, Spain, specialising in filmmaking.

Watch it here:-

CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies are holding a free online seminar

Why not join them in a virtual panel discussion on the role of the labor movement in solidarity economy hosted by the Solidarity Economy Club at CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies on Friday, May 10, at 4.00pm ET (9.00pm BST).

Register at:-
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vgAZA6P4T2ms5lgR0Sq83A#/registration

Colleagues at Princeton University in the States (The Workers’ Algorithm Observatory) have run a really interesting project (FairFare) to study Uber’s profit take from its drivers.

Over 200 drivers have participated in a tech driven study of the margin Uber takes (steals?) from its drivers and the results (unsurprisingly) show they’re profit gouging. Who knew?

Read their blog post here

https://medium.com/the-workers-algorithm-observatory/fairfare-is-1-and-growing-6e5ae8781477

We are pleased to see the CWU and the Govt. have talked again about the possibility of a mutual to take over running the Post Office. This would be a great step forward, but it is important not to fall into the same hole as the “Big Society” so called mutuals Cameron foisted on the nation.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/feb/07/constructive-talks-held-over-transfer-of-post-office-ownership-to-operators 

We will be reaching out to the CWU to offer our support of course.

The law was changed to allow this in 2011, but little has happened since. These talks are a great step forward, especially as Co-operatives UK are also involved.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/sep/18/post-office-mutualisation-proposals

We’ve just set up a WhatsApp Community. This will enable our members and supporters to not just get up to date news, but also chat to each other on specific subjects or in specialist groups

Why not join us using the QR Code below?

Why not sign up for website updates as well and get an email every time a new Post or Page is added. Just add your email to the box in the RH Column

Last year, at the June 2023 meeting of the United States Federation of Worker Coops’ (USFWC’s) Union Co-ops Council, Jonny Sopotiuk presented on the Union Cooperative Initiative (UCI), an exciting project out of Vancouver, BC which was founded in 2021.

In this video, Jonny talks about the history of our US partner organisation, the UCI, its co-ops and prospects, their strategies, and how the union co-op model is proving successful. 🌲

Lots more info is available from the US Federation of Worker Co-ops on their website 🌲
Register for their upcoming events https://www.usworker.coop/calendar/
Sign up for their monthly newsletter https://www.usworker.coop/subscribe/