We need to normalize not just starting worker owned and run co-ops, but taking over businesses and converting them to these co-ops.
Federate the co-ops, establish a shared workforce (one co-op goes under/not enough business at x? Come work at y) and have them become actual workers councils
The Marxist critiques of this are not lost on me, co-ops are not immune to exploitation and fool proof by virtue of existing under capitalism but I think we need them for two reasons:
Sitting around and waiting for a revolution from a small group of people with one idea of how to run things is a bad idea
We need to practice what actual day to day life will look like. I think the experiences and connections made will far outweigh all of the bookclubs, protests and other purely political avenues of organizing
It doesn’t need to be all central planning and state owned, it doesn’t all have to be zaney pure communal experimentation right from the start …people could just literally experience going to work at a normal job but feel the agency of having a say in their workplace, not live in fear of an overbearing boss, decide their wages, always have a place in case their job implodes or they become redundant (bounce to co-op y).
Sitting around and waiting for a revolution from a small group of people with one idea of how to run things is a bad idea
This is just a strawman of vanguardism . The bolshevik revolution was only possible with the overwhelming support of the peasants and proletariat class. A revolution is literally not possible without huge numbers of soldiers turning on the government.
I don’t disagree with this, but even in your statement they had overwhelming support of proletariat. There will be no vanguard if we don’t have an organized, unionized, proletariat. So I still think as it stands we’re just waiting around for a small group of people to do the revolution and just accept their conception. Which would be a bad idea, which is why I think workers need to realize aspects of this world that is worth fighting for right now
What is the name for a strategy to cut out shareholders?
I imagine it’s something like, we syrike and demand 60% of controlling shares or else company dies.
Price tanks, workers buy their own discounted shares.
5 years later do it again, seize 60% of the remainder.
Continue until shareholders are fully marginalized and financing is done through regular finite terms loans. Preferably from loans direct from the central bank at the policy rate.
We need to normalize not just starting worker owned and run co-ops, but taking over businesses and converting them to these co-ops.
Federate the co-ops, establish a shared workforce (one co-op goes under/not enough business at x? Come work at y) and have them become actual workers councils
The Marxist critiques of this are not lost on me, co-ops are not immune to exploitation and fool proof by virtue of existing under capitalism but I think we need them for two reasons:
Sitting around and waiting for a revolution from a small group of people with one idea of how to run things is a bad idea
We need to practice what actual day to day life will look like. I think the experiences and connections made will far outweigh all of the bookclubs, protests and other purely political avenues of organizing
It doesn’t need to be all central planning and state owned, it doesn’t all have to be zaney pure communal experimentation right from the start …people could just literally experience going to work at a normal job but feel the agency of having a say in their workplace, not live in fear of an overbearing boss, decide their wages, always have a place in case their job implodes or they become redundant (bounce to co-op y).
This is just a strawman of vanguardism . The bolshevik revolution was only possible with the overwhelming support of the peasants and proletariat class. A revolution is literally not possible without huge numbers of soldiers turning on the government.
I don’t disagree with this, but even in your statement they had overwhelming support of proletariat. There will be no vanguard if we don’t have an organized, unionized, proletariat. So I still think as it stands we’re just waiting around for a small group of people to do the revolution and just accept their conception. Which would be a bad idea, which is why I think workers need to realize aspects of this world that is worth fighting for right now
What is the name for a strategy to cut out shareholders?
I imagine it’s something like, we syrike and demand 60% of controlling shares or else company dies.
Price tanks, workers buy their own discounted shares.
5 years later do it again, seize 60% of the remainder.
Continue until shareholders are fully marginalized and financing is done through regular finite terms loans. Preferably from loans direct from the central bank at the policy rate.