On July 9, the full Santa Clara City Council and City Staff hosted a learning session on worker cooperatives called: Presentation on the Worker Cooperative Business Model. Kirk and Marguerite Vartan of our member A Slice of New York led the presentation and shared an overview of worker cooperatives, how the structure might help address some of the current challenges facing the City and the region, examples of what others cities are doing locally and nationally, and some suggested next steps.
Over fifty coop members and supporters from all over the Bay Area gathered for the event, and the City Council unanimously voted to support the development of worker cooperatives in their city. It was standing room only in the council chambers as a result of Kirk and Marguerite’s dedication and energy to get this session on the council’s agenda as well as partner and support organizations from across the South Bay. The lineup of speakers included representatives from our membership: Hillary Abell of Project Equity, the USFWC’s board president Ricardo Samir Nuñez, Sue Lopez, a baker of 19 years from the Arizmendi Bakeries, and Rendell (Ren) Boguiren, a founding member and the board secretary of A Slice of New York pizzeria.
Many organizations were in attendance, including:
Arizmendi
US Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC)
Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI)
Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives (NoBAWC)
Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC)
Niles Pie
and
Project Equity
