LAFINALMEMO2015

MEMORANDUM
TO: ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY LOS ANGELES
FROM: THE LOS ANGELES CO-OP LAB
SUBJECT: THE LOS ANGELES CO-OP LAB: BUILDING CAPACITY FOR WORKER
OWNERSHIP - A COOPERATIVE CAPSTONE PROJECT
DATE: SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
What follows is the culmination of our research about building capacity for worker ownership in
Los Angeles, what we now call the Los Angeles Co-op Lab. We collected these resources from
local organizations, worker cooperative developers, cooperative businesses, colleges and
universities in the U.S. and beyond. Also included is an extensive resource list which includes
books, articles, reports, videos, presentations, and resource organizations for worker cooperatives
and cooperative developers.
Please note: A version of this website is also available at http://lacooplab.aulacourses.com. We
wanted to make this information useable and accessible for anyone interested in our work and
the cooperative sector.
The goal of the Los Angeles Co-op Lab is to create a collaborative opportunity where people
who are interested in learning about and starting a worker-owned business can create,
experiment and test ideas. The Lab will support the development of conceptual and practical
tools as well as facilitate conversations to aid the growth of worker cooperatives. Through these
conversations and points of outreach, the Lab will identify opportunities for new co-ops (whether
start-ups or business conversions), and draw upon our extensive network of local and national
business experts to provide support and value for these emerging cooperatives.

10-WEEK INTENSIVE
To kick-off research for the Lab, professor Gilda Haas developed a 10-week intensive
curriculum that introduced us to the foundations of worker-owned cooperatives and several
business sectors in Los Angeles that could benefit from this model. Our purpose was to learn
about worker cooperatives in the context of Los Angeles. The approach involved a focus on key
sectors (Food, Health Care, Waste and Recycling), interviews with people who have researched
those sectors deeply, and encounters with worker cooperatives in those sectors. We also met with
attorneys regarding alternative legal entities for worker coops and learned about business model
generation.
10-week Intensive Schedule:
Week 1: Residency
At Antioch University, students were given an introduction to capstone projects, the 10-week
intensive and discussed ways to organize the class into a democratic, decision-making, and
accountable body.
Week 2: Waste Sector
Students met with Lauren Ahkiam with the Don’t Waste L.A. Campaign at the LAANE offices.
She talked about the new franchise ordinance in Los Angeles, the waste/recycling sector, and
where she sees value-added for worker cooperatives.
Week 3: Conversation with CERO Cooperative
Lor Holmes, manager of CERO recycling/compost cooperative in Boston, discussed their start-
up efforts in an online chat with students from her East Coast office. She shared the following
video about CERO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9C8WRKmmDE
Week 4: Food Waste, Compost, and the Good Food Economy
Students attended the LA Food Policy Council Member Meeting on the USC Campus. Speakers
included: Will Allen, Growing Power; Karen Coca, L.A. Department of Sanitation; Jackie
Cornejo and John Guevarra, LAANE; Dan Noble, Association of Compost Producers; Michael
Martinez, L.A. Compost; Paula Daniels (LAFPC Founder and Senior Fellow on Food Systems,
Water and Climate at the Office of Governor Jerry Brown); and Clare Fox, L.A. Food Policy
Council.
Week 5: Cooperatives and Healthy Food in L.A.
At Gilda’s house, students had a conversation with Rudy Espinoza of LURN and Clare Fox of
LA Food Policy Council to discuss possible intervention points for worker co-ops in L.A.'s food
economy, as well as a distribution co-op that they are working on together to supply L.A. corner
markets with healthy, affordable food.
Los Angeles Co-Op Lab:
Building Capacity for Worker Ownership
1

Week 6: Mid-course Check-in
Students met at Gilda’s house to check-in about how the course was going and reaffirm the
method by reviewing readings and upcoming focus areas.
Week 7: L.A. Health Sector
Students met at Mercado La Paloma with Nancy Ibrahim of Esperanza Community Housing
Corporation and Jim Mangia of St. John’s Well Child and Family Center. The discussion focused
on the health sector in Los Angeles and where they see opportunities for cooperative enterprises.
Week 8: Conversation with Circle of Life Caregiver Cooperative
Jo Ann McNerthney, Founder, Circle of Life Caregiver Cooperative described the start-up and
current operations of Circle of Life in an online session from her base in Bellingham,
Washington.
Week 9: Elements of a Business Model
At Gilda’s house, she provided an overview of the basic elements of a business model with a
slideshow and we were introduced to the book: Business Model Generation, by Alexander
Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur.
Week 10: Choosing a Legal Entity
Students met at Public Council with Brad Caftel, Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer for
the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. He walked students and members of
Pacific Electric Worker Owned Co-op (also in attendance) through legal and technical
considerations in forming a co-op. The meeting was hosted by Doug Smith who also contributed
information about the legalities surrounding cooperative businesses.
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In January 2015, after completing a 10-week intensive to ground our research, our team went on
a co-op tour in Oakland and San Francisco. We visited worker-owned cooperatives, collectives,
toured Recology to learn about Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), and participated in a
panel discussion with leaders from the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, the Democracy at
Work Network, Arizmendi Bakeries, the Sustainable Economies Law Center, the East Bay
Community Law Center, Movement Generation, and Pacific Electric Worker Owned
Cooperative.
Representatives Clare Fox of the LA Food Policy Council, and Rudy Espinoza with Leadership
for Urban Renewal Network (LURN), and Public Counsel also joined our study tour to learn
more about cooperatives and how this business model could be implemented in Los Angeles.
Clare and Rudy wrote inspiring pieces about their experiences:
“Worker Cooperatives, Capital, & Politics,” by Rudy Espinoza
http://www.thefulllane.com/worker-cooperatives
“[From the Director’s Desk] Building a Culture of Cooperation: Good for Business?,” by Clare
Fox
http://goodfoodla.org/2015/02/23/from-the-directors-desk-building-a-culture-of-cooperation-
good-for-business
During the tour we were immersed in the prospects and problematics of worker ownership and
developed important relationships with people and organizations that have expressed interest in
our research and a willingness to support us.
Organizations we visited on the tour:
Arizmendi Bakery - Valencia Street
Arizmendi Valencia is one of six cooperative bakeries in the Bay Area that, along with a
development and support collective, make up The Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives.
http://arizmendi.coop
Design Action Collective
Design Action provides graphic design and visual communications for progressive, non-profit
and social change organizations.
http://designaction.org
Phat Beets
Phat Beets is a collective of young leaders, small farmers and community members who want to
create better food choices.
http://www.phatbeetsproduce.org
Bay Area Co-op Tour
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Recology
Recology is an employee-owned company that manages municipal solid waste disposal and
recycling services in the Bay Area and beyond.
http://www.recology.com
Organizations represented at our panel discussion:
Democracy at Work Institute
The Democracy at Work Institute advances the worker cooperative field in order to create a
fairer economy and better jobs.
http://institute.usworker.coop
East Bay Community Law Center
EBCLC provides legal services to low-income communities in the areas of housing, welfare,
HIV & health, homelessness and economic development, along with clinical education for law
students.
http://www.ebclc.org
Pacific Electric Worker-Owned Cooperative
PEWOC is a Los Angeles-based electricians’ cooperative.
http://pacificelectric.coop
Sustainable Economies Law Center
SELC cultivates a new legal landscape that supports community resilience and grassroots
economic empowerment.
http://www.theselc.org
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Antioch University Urban Sustainability Residency
July 31- August 3, 2014
The origin of this project’s research strategy was established at a four-day residency that focused
on new economic models and worker cooperative business models. We had a skype conversation
with Ed Whitfield, Co-Founder and Co-Managing director of the Fund for Democratic
Communities on his perspective about democratic economies. We also spent time brainstorming
about what it would look like if American Apparel converted to a worker-owned cooperative
model. It was during this residency that our team came together to collaborate on a capstone
project that would focus on worker cooperatives.
Los Angeles Co-p Lab Retreat
January 29 - February 1, 2015
Building on the momentum of our 10-week intensive and Bay Area study tour we participated in
a planning retreat facilitated by Gilda Haas. Here we were introduced to Victor Narro from the
UCLA Labor Center and had our first meeting with Kelly Orians, a UCLA law student working
along with fellow student, Rica Garcia, on a parallel process designed to serve the needs of
worker centers and worker cooperatives in Los Angeles. In order to develop pilot workshops for
the Lab we identified seven worker centers in Los Angeles:
● IDEPSCA (Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California)
● Pilipino Workers Center (PWC)
● The Los Angeles Black Workers Center (LABWC)
● Restaurant Opportunities Center
● Korean Immigrant Workers Alliance
● CLEAN Carwash Campaign
● Garment Workers Center
Antioch University Urban Sustainability Spring Residency
April 28 - May 3, 2015
Our Spring Residency was held in partnership with the Los Angeles Black Worker Center and
helped solidify our connection with their work and the potential for helping to introduce the
concept of worker ownership to their members. The residency, titled, “Do You See Me Now?
Race, Jobs and Equity in Los Angeles,” focused on the LABWC’s current campaigns to increase
access to quality jobs; reduce employment discrimination; and improve industries that employ
Black workers through action and unionization.
Business Model Presentation Retreat
June 27, 2015
We came together for a full day to review our business model deconstructions and begin
brainstorming about building our own business model for supporting worker cooperatives in Los
Angeles. For our model deconstructions we looked at four cooperative developers to document
their value propositions for their clients using the Business Model Generation Canvas tool:
Educational Retreats
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1. The Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives, Oakland, CA (business development)
2. Center for Family Life, Brooklyn, NY (cooperative incubator)
3. WAGES (presently known as PROSPERA), Oakland, CA (cooperative incubator)
4. The Working World, New York, NY (Collaborative Venture Capital)
By unbundling these models, we were able to extract the entities’ best attributes and compare
them side by side to learn and evaluate what could potentially work for a co-op development
organization in Los Angeles.
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We researched many cooperative developers from all over the U.S. and learned from their
varying models of engagement with worker cooperatives. Worker cooperative developers work
to create good, sustainable jobs through the development, support and promotion of worker
cooperatives. There are several different approaches to worker cooperative development, and
some initiatives utilize more than one strategy.
Of special note:
We participated in a one-hour session hosted by Melissa Hoover, Executive Director of the
Democracy at Work Institute in Oakland, CA, who presented information about the difference
between high-touch and low-touch cooperative development models.
Melissa Hoover’s presentation: What Does it Take To Start a Worker Coop? (link to file in
website graphics folder)
We participated in a one-hour session hosted by Vanessa Bransburg, Director of Cooperative
Development of the Center for Family Life in Brooklyn, NY, who talked about the history of
CFL and their decision to become a cooperative developer. She presented detailed information
about their model, the services they provide, and told stories about the cooperatives they have
incubated.
Presentation by Vanessa Bransburg: The Center for Family Life (link to file in website graphics
folder)
In order to deconstruct several business models, we did in-depth research into the following three
cooperative developers, each of which has a very different model of engagement with
cooperatives:
Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives
The Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives is a cooperative made up of seven member
businesses: six cooperative bakeries and a development and support collective in the Bay Area.
http://arizmendi.coop
Prospera
Prospera is a co-op developer rooted in deep partnerships with community-based organizations,
industry experts, businesses, foundations, and the founding worker-owners of the co-ops they
support.
http://prosperacoops.org
The Working World U.S.
TWW is a non-profit that provides investment capital and technical support for worker
cooperatives using a finance model that puts money at the service of people, not the other way
around.
http://www.theworkingworld.org
COOPERATIVE DEVELOPERS
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Other cooperative developers we learned from and are inspired by:
Cooperation Texas
Cooperation Texas is an Austin-based non-profit committed to the creation of sustainable jobs
through the development, support, and promotion of worker-owned cooperatives.
http://cooperationtexas.coop
Green Worker Cooperatives
Green Worker Cooperatives is a South-Bronx based organization dedicated to incubating
worker-owned green businesses in order to build a strong local economy rooted in democracy
and environmental justice.
http://www.greenworker.coop
Project Equity
Project Equity works to re-envision community economic development to shift control locally
and build economic resiliency in low income communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.
http://www.project-equity.org
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A key piece of our research has been the continuous dialogue with worker centers in Los
Angeles who have had past and present experiences with worker ownership. These indispensable
organizations are vital to the conversation around development of additional worker-owned
cooperatives in our city.
In March of 2015, we met with Executive Directors of these organizations and began dialogue
about their current needs and obstacles. The discourse offered insight into past experiences with
worker-ownership, visions for the future, and what support might be most useful for reaching
organizational goals through a worker-ownership model. They have been integrated into all
aspects of our lab design and development process, and we are currently piloting educational
curriculum with two of the centers.
What is a worker center?
Worker Centers organize to fight against exploitation and exclusion and some have developed
co-ops in the past as a way to create decent employment opportunities for their members in
alignment with their democratic values. Two examples include a home health care co-op and a
job placement co-op for newly-certified green gardeners. We are learning from their experiences
and building our services to support these and other new worker cooperatives in Los Angeles.
Why did we focus on the needs of the worker centers?
We focused on worker centers to build an approach that could serve communities in greatest
need as well as communities that had already initiated cooperatives. Through these efforts we
hope to promote social and economic justice, local community over corporate power, and urban
sustainability throughout Los Angeles based on a system that better values workers.
Some of the worker centers in Los Angeles have developed co-ops in the past as a way to create
decent employment opportunities for their members in alignment with their democratic values.
Two examples include a home health care co-op and a job placement co-op for newly-certified
green gardeners. We are learning from their experiences and building our services to support
these and other new worker cooperatives in Los Angeles.
Meeting with worker centers
In March of 2015, Victor Narro, Project Director of the Downtown, UCLA Labor Center hosted
a dinner meeting to introduce our team to the Executive Directors of the worker centers. Present
in the meeting were:
- Scott Cummings, Robert Henigson Professor of Legal Ethics and Professor of Law,
UCLA School of Law
- Rica Garcia, Student, UCLA School of Law | UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
- Gilda Haas, Professor, Antioch University Los Angeles
- Victor Narro, Project Director of the Downtown, UCLA Labor Center
- Kelly Orians, Student, UCLA School of Law | UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
- Karen Ochoa, Student, Antioch University Los Angeles
Worker Centers
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Worker Centers
- Rosemarie Molina, Clean Carwash Campaign
- Alexandra Suh, Korean Immigration Workers Association
- Aquilina Soriano, Pilipino Worker Alliance
- Kathy Hoang, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United / ROC-LA
- Marissa Nuncio, Garment Worker Center
The dialogue with the worker centers offered insight into past experiences with worker-
ownership and what issues they faced in trying to sustain those businesses. All of those present
agreed that their main challenge while incubating worker cooperatives was a lack of sufficient
support, technical assistance, and resources to grow and nurture the cooperative while focusing
on their campaigns and running a non-profit. For the most part they agreed that if there were a
technical assistance entity in which they could look to for help, some of the pressure of running a
start-up could be alleviated. Conversation also focused on a lack of sufficient training about the
culture of cooperatives and interpersonal issues within the groups. Concerns were also expressed
about the barriers faced by the undocumented population and the limitations to attaining proper
city licensing for construction or gardening cooperatives, as well as the barriers this population
faces when needing to open bank accounts.
Our research team shared visions of future support potentials and we asked if they would be
willing to meet with us individually so we could gather more information. After this meeting we
connected directly with the Pilipino Worker Alliance, ROC-LA, and The Los Angeles Black
Worker Center to continue research and design several pilot events.
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DECONSTRUCTING FOUR BUSINESS MODELS
During a 10-week intensive, we were introduced to the concept of business models based largely
on the framework provided in Business Model Generation written by Alexander Osterwalder &
Yves Pigneur. The focus of the business model framework is to establish how organizations
create, deliver, and capture value for their products. This approach is supported by the “Canvas,”
a visual tool for collaborative brainstorming to produce the interrelated elements of a business
model. To better understand the Canvas method, we also participated in various webinars hosted
by Strategyzer, the company behind the Business Model Generation book.
More information on the book and its concepts can be found here:
http://businessmodelgeneration.com
To build the skills necessary to create our own business models, we first researched the selected
co-op developer organizations listed below, documented their principles and operations, and then
deconstructed those models by using the Canvas tool.
By unbundling these models, we were able to extract the entity’s best attributes and compare
them side by side to learn and evaluate what could potentially work for a co-op development
organization in Los Angeles. We then produced our own model, a work in progress that we call
the Los Angeles Co-op Lab (for details, see Appendix A).
BUILDING OUR OWN
To build the skills necessary to create our own business model, we researched the four
cooperative developers listed above, documented their principles and operations, deconstructed
their models using the Canvas tool, and wrote a business model narrative to document our
thoughts.
See Appendix A: Business Model Narrative for the Los Angeles Co-op Lab
Business Models
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PILOT SUMMARY
Based upon the relationships built, we ultimately partnered with three local entities to develop
pilot workshops.
Our pilot with the Community Development Technologies Center grew out of their interest in
our research and the potential to build curriculum about worker owned cooperatives. CDTech is
a catalyst for change in South LA, activating and focusing the potential of residents and
businesses. They equip them with the training, strategies and programs they need to be leaders
and organizers for neighborhood improvement and economic growth.
A meeting convened by Victor Narro, Project Director at the UCLA Labor Center, included our
team and the Executive Directors of several worker centers and led to discussion that inspired the
creation of our second two pilots for the Los Angeles Black Worker Center and the Pilipino
Workers Center. Our work with them will culminate in the fall of 2015 with pilot workshops
titled “What is a Worker Cooperative” for LABWC and “Building Our Power Through
Cooperatives” for PWC.
CD TECH
In August of 2015 we prepared a memo for CDTech that included worker cooperative
educational resources compiled by our team. We collected this information from worker
cooperative developers, colleges, and universities in the U.S. and beyond. We also included
films, sample presentations, and an annotated bibliography that could be used to support classes.
We are now in the process of developing two “Introduction to Worker Cooperatives” workshops
for CDTech’s faculty and constituents. In addition, we are working with them to design and
support a one-credit course for future CDTech offerings.
CDTech Pilot Memo (included as Appendix B)
CDTech’s mission is to build livable and economically viable communities in the low-income
areas of Greater Los Angeles. This is accomplished by strengthening the skills and self-
sufficiency of residents, businesses and community serving institutions through a variety of
capacity building and direct service programs. For more information about CDTech, visit:
http://www.cdtech.org.
C.O.U.R.A.G.E.
We have created an introductory, one-hour workshop for the Pilipino Workers Center titled
“Building Our Power Through Cooperatives,” to support their incubation of home care
cooperative C.O.U.R.A.G.E. This pilot workshop, scheduled for October 2015, is designed for
owners and members of the cooperative who are working to sustain and grow their business. The
goal of the workshop is to provide the worker-owners with inspiration based upon the success of
other U.S. cooperatives in the same sector, as well as facilitate a discussion about what will help
C.O.U.R.A.G.E. grow and thrive.
Pilots
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“Building Our Power Through Cooperatives” Event Outline (included as Appendix C)
Pilipino Workers Center is a non-profit organization located in Historic Filipinotown, Los
Angeles, but serves Filipinos throughout Southern California. PWC focuses on providing
programs that help meet the immediate needs of workers and their families while at the same
time building their leadership to take collective action for long last change. For more
information about PWC, visit: http://pwcsc.org.
THE LOS ANGELES BLACK WORKER CENTER
We have created a one-hour workshop for the Los Angeles Black Worker Center titled, “What is
a Worker Cooperative?,” to introduce the concept of worker owned cooperatives to their
membership and share stories about successful cooperatives in the construction industry. This
pilot workshop, scheduled for the fall of 2015, will include slides, a short film, stories about co-
ops, and a question and answer session.
“What is a Worker Cooperative?” Event Outline (included as Appendix D)
The Los Angeles Black Worker Center aims to increase access to quality jobs; reduce
employment discrimination; and improve industries that employ Black workers through action
and unionization. The center seeks to promote economic and racial justice, peace, and prosperity
for all of Los Angeles by developing policies and corporate practices that perpetuate equality in
the labor market and end inferior jobs in the Black Community. For more information about
BWC, visit: http://lablackworkercenter.org.
MOBILE CO-OP LAB (COMING SOON!)
One idea for future development of the Los Angeles Co-op Lab is to introduce a mobile
classroom concept so we can “pop-up” in many locations to reach diverse populations and
quickly and efficiently host events. The actual events will manifest out of the many relationships
we have made during the past year of research in Los Angeles. This fall we are running three
pilot workshops as proof of concept and we already have interest from several other
organizations for future events and workshops that will be supported by the Mobile Co-op Lab.
Gilda Haas, of Dr. Pop, has recently purchased a truck that may be utilized to support these
events.
Rendering of a possible “Mobile Co-op Lab”:
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A Menu of Possibilities for Future Mobile Lab Co-op Development Workshops:
SHORT COURSES
● What is a Worker Co-op? (a one-hour workshop)
● Where Do I Start? How to Start a Worker Owned Business (a three-hour workshop)
● Real Stories. Real Coops. (a three-hour workshop)
WORKSHOPS
● Choosing a Sector, Choosing a Business
● Democratic Governance & Management
● Effective Communication & Conflict Resolution
● Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
● Worker Cooperative Financing
● California Co-op Law
● Worker Cooperatives & Sustainability
COOPERATIVE COLLEGE OF KNOWLEDGE (FUTURE)
● A 10-week Cooperative Incubator Academy
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Los Angeles Co-op Lab - Future Event/Program Notes (included as Appendix E)
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COLLABORATING WITH LAW STUDENTS
During the spring of 2015, we collaborated with Kelly Orians and Rica Garcia, students of Scott
Cummings, UCLA Law Professor, and Victor Narro from the UCLA Labor Center and. Kelly
and Rica created a legal memo titled, "Development of Worker-Owned Construction
Cooperatives for Undocumented Workers and Workers with Conviction History" to contribute to
the larger investigation of what it would take to build capacity for worker coops in Los Angeles.
This memo addresses how worker-owned construction cooperatives could improve the economic
security of low-wage workers, particularly those who are undocumented and/or have been
incarcerated. They conducted a landscape analysis, legal research, financial considerations and
analysis of structural entities. They also developed recommendations for incubator entity
structures inclusive of legal research, financial considerations and comparative analysis.
"Development of Worker-Owned Construction Cooperatives for Undocumented Workers and
Workers with Conviction History" (full memo will be linked to from the website)
Legal Allies
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We learned from a lot of people, but several people had important and official roles as project
advisors.
Formal Advisors
Timothy Huet, Co-Founder of the Association of Arizmendi Cooperatives
Timothy is an attorney and community organizer whose work focuses on worker cooperatives.
He is founder of and serves as In-House Counsel for the Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives,
an enterprise which replicates successful worker cooperatives. He has published articles on
worker cooperatives and self-management in Dollars & Sense, The Stanford Law & Policy
Review, Grassroots Economic Organizing, and Peace Review. He served on the founding boards
of the California Center for Cooperative Development, Western Worker Cooperative
Conference, and the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives.
Vanessa Bransburg, Cooperative Consultant
Vanessa Bransburg is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina but grew up in San Diego,
California since a young age. She received her B.A. in Sociology and Spanish literature from
University of California, Los Angeles and her Masters in Social Work from Columbia University
in New York City. She was the Director of Cooperative Development at the Center for Family
Life (CFL) in Brooklyn, NY for 8 years where she ran a program that provides incubation
support services for worker owned cooperatives specifically run by immigrants and low income
community residents. Vanessa was at the forefront of creating and running the NYC Cooperative
Development Initiative which provides year long support to community based organizations in
NYC as they learn to become practitioners in cooperative development. She was also one of the
leaders/founders of the NYC Network of Worker Cooperatives ("Nick Nock") since its inception
in December 2009. Currently Vanessa is a lecturer at San Diego State University in the
Counseling and Social Psychology department, works as an independent consultant to worker
cooperatives and serves on the Board of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives.
Gilda Haas
Gilda is an educator, organizer, and urban planner who in past lives helped start a credit union, a
land trust, and numerous organizations and coalitions, including Strategic Actions for a Just
Economy — all towards building a more fair and democratic economy. She taught in UCLA’s
Urban Planning program for many years where she also started their Community Scholars
Program. Gilda presently teaches in Antioch’s Urban Sustainability M.A Program, creates games
and popular education workshops about planning and economics, and helps coach the next
generation of leaders for a new economy.
GRATITUDE
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Special Thanks
A special thanks to Gopal Dayaneni who hosted us at the Orchard in Oakland, introduced us to
Bay Area coops, and has been a supportive ally throughout our learning and development
process, and Victor Narro, who has offered vital insight and support throughout the development
of our project.
Gopal Dayaneni
Movement Generation: Justice and Ecology Project
The Working World, Board member
Gopal is an advisor to this project and has offered insight along the way in addition to
introducing us to The Working World. Gopal is also Antioch University’s first Climate Justice
Fellow.
Info: http://www.theworkingworld.org/us, http://movementgeneration.org
Victor Narro
Project Director, UCLA Labor Center
Victor is an advisor for this project. He also participated in our first planning retreat, hosted our
first meeting with worker centers, hosted UCLA Law Students Kelly and Rica's presentation for
an audience of worker centers and other community members, and will host a summary
presentation of this product for a similar audience.
Info: http://www.labor.ucla.edu/victor-narro
Additional Resource People
Lauren Ahkiam
Senior Research & Policy Analyst, Don’t Waste L.A. Campaign (LAANE)
Lauren presented about a new franchise ordinance in Los Angeles, the waste/recycling sector,
and where she sees value-added for worker cooperatives.
Info: http://www.laane.org/person/ahkiam
Brad Caftel
Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer, Insight Center for Community Economic Development
Brad presented on the legal and technical considerations in forming a worker-owned cooperative.
Info: http://www.insightcced.org
Scott Cummings
Robert Henigson Professor of Legal Ethics and Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
Scott advised and collaborated on a parallel cooperative research project, and we, in turn
collaborated with two of his law students, Kelly Orians and Rica Garcia, who produced a
substantial research report on the topic of the most appropriate cooperative entities for
undocumented and formerly incarcerated workers.
Info: https://law.ucla.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/scott-l-cummings
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Steve Dubb
Director of Special Projects of the Democracy Collaborative
Steve educated us about the evolution of the Evergreen Cooperatives as well as their larger
approach to cooperative development and economic democracy.
Info: http://democracycollaborative.org/content/steve-dubb
Rudy Espinoza
Executive Director, Leadership for Urban Renewal (LURN)
Rudy presented on the possible intervention points for worker co-ops in L.A.'s food economy
and is currently working on a distribution cooperative to supply corner markets with healthy,
affordable food.
Info: http://www.lurnnetwork.org
Clare Fox
Director of Policy and Innovation, Los Angeles Food Policy Council
Claire presented on the possible intervention points for worker co-ops in L.A.'s food economy
and is currently working on a distribution cooperative to supply corner markets with healthy,
affordable food.
Info: http://goodfoodla.org/lafpc-staff
Lor Holmes
Manager, CERO (Cooperative Energy, Recycling & Organics)
Lor gave a presentation about the start-up of recycling/compost cooperative, CERO, in Boston,
including in-depth information about their funding strategies.
Info: http://www.cero.coop/cero-story
Melissa Hoover
Executive Director of the Democracy at Work Institute
Melissa participated in a panel about worker cooperatives with our team and gave a special
presentation to the students about the role of cooperative developers and the spectrum of “low
touch” and “high touch” approaches to their work.
Info: http://institute.usworker.coop/about-dawi/staff-board
Nancy Ibrahim
Executive Director, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation
Nancy shared her knowledge about the health sector in Los Angeles and where she sees
opportunities for cooperatives enterprises within that industry.
Info: http://www.esperanzacommunityhousing.org
Sushil Jacobs
Staff Attorney & Clinical Instructor, Housing Practice, East Bay Law Center
Sushil participated in a panel about worker cooperatives with our team.
Info: http://www.ebclc.org/index.php
18

Camille Kerr
Director of Field-Building, Democracy at Work Institute, Chair Board Member, PROSPERA
(formerly known as WAGES)
Camille educated the students about WAGES’s business model.
Info: http://institute.usworker.coop, http://prosperacoops.org
Lolita Andrada Lledo
Associate Director / Lead Organizer, Pilipino Worker Center
Lolita educated us about C.O.U.R.A.G.E home health aide cooperative in Los Angeles and will
be partnering with the Lab to pilot a workshop in October 2015.
Info: http://pwcsc.org
Vanessa Vela Lovelace
Director of Programs, Community Development Technologies Center (CDTech)
We met with Vanessa and Benny (also with CDTech) to share our research with them and to
discuss the potential of building curriculum about worker owned cooperatives for CDTech.
Info: http://www.cdtech.org
Jim Mangia
Chief Executive Officer, St. John’s Well Child and Family Center
Jim shared his knowledge about the health sector in Los Angeles and where he sees opportunities
for cooperatives enterprises within that industry.
Info: http://www.wellchild.org
Jo Ann McNerthney
Founder, Circle of Life Cooperative
Jo Ann described the history, structure, successes and challenges of the Circle of Life home care
cooperative.
Info: http://www.circleoflife.coop
Lanita Morris
Project Director, Los Angeles Black Worker Center
Lanita participated in an Antioch residency with the students focused on the LABWC’s current
organizing efforts, helped brainstorm ideas about the potential of worker cooperatives for their
membership, and will be hosting a pilot project with the Lab in the fall of 2015.
Info: http://lablackworkercenter.org
Ricardo Nuñez
Cooperatives Program Director, Sustainable Economies Law Center
Ricardo participated in a panel about worker cooperatives during our Bay Area Study Tour and
has shared resources for this project.
Info: http://www.theselc.org/ricardo_nunez
Ann Reynolds
Executive Director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives
Ann participated in an early conversation with Gilda regarding the design of this project.
Info: http://www.uwcc.wisc.edu/about/staff
19

Doug Smith
Equal Justice Works Fellow - Community Development, Public Counsel
Doug convened attorneys from Public Counsel and the Insight Center for a discussion about
alternative legal entities for worker co-ops.
Info: http://www.publiccounsel.org/home
Benjamin Torres
President and Chief Executive Officer, Community Development Technologies Center (CDTech)
We met with Benny and Vanessa (also with CDTech) to share our research with them and to
discuss the potential of building curriculum about worker owned cooperatives for CDTech.
Info: http://www.cdtech.org
20

Our resource page includes an extensive resource list which includes books, articles, reports,
videos, presentations, and resource organizations for worker cooperatives and cooperative
developers.
These resources are included as Appendix F.
Resources
21

APPENDIX A
Future Vision
Business Model Narrative:
Los Angeles Co-op Lab
The Los Angeles Co-op Lab is housed at Antioch University Los Angeles for a series of
experiments and prototypes to test what it would take to create and sustain worker-owned
cooperatives in the City of Los Angeles. To design our business model, we studied the concept
of business models based largely on the framework provided in the book, Business Model
Generation written by Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur. The purpose of the business
model framework is to establish how organizations create, deliver, and capture value for their
products and services. This approach is supported by the “Canvas,” a visual tool for collaborative
brainstorming to produce the interrelated elements of a business model.
To learn about the experience of others while building the skills necessary to create our own
business model, we researched the following cooperative developers, documented their
principles and operations, and deconstructed their models using the Canvas tool.
1. The Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives
Oakland, CA (Business Development Model)
2. The Working World U.S.
New York, NY (Collaborative Venture Capital Model)
3. PROSPERA (formerly known as WAGES)
Oakland, CA (Nonprofit Incubator Model)
4. Center for Family Life
Brooklyn, NY (Nonprofit Incubator Model)
Information about these organizations and what they have in common follows in the chart below:
22

Common Traits:
Provide technical assistance for cooperatives during the incubation period and beyond.
Offer financing for cooperative development.
Training and education is provided during and after the incubation period to ensure
success of the business.
Have a strategic start-up strategy.
Establish partnerships with the cooperatives and the community.
Arizmendi Association The Working World
Prospera
(formerly WAGES)
Center for Family
Life
As a cooperative
association, the
organization uses a
replication strategy to
develop new worker-
owned retail bakeries.
They provide ongoing
technical assistance and
are financed by the co-
ops they help create. No
philanthropic funds are
used in the development
of a new cooperative.
A non-profit
organization that
provides investment
capital and technical
assistance for worker
cooperatives using a
radical financing
model.
Cooperatives are only
required to pay back
the loan with the
revenues that the
investment generates.
A non-profit organization
that provides
undocumented Latina
women with the
opportunity to create a
cooperative business to
increase their income.
The organization provides
a three-year incubation
program that develops
leadership and offers
coaching, training and
technical assistance.
A non-profit
organization that
organizes and
incubates cooperative
businesses and trains
community
organizations to use
their co-op
development model.
Has a 3-5 year
incubation period in
which they gradually
decrease development
and financial support
to ensure cooperative
independence.
23

The L.A. Coop Lab’s business model is an ongoing work-in-progress and at this time we
envision the entity being rolled out in four phases, each of which may require a business model
of its own.
Phase 1: Building a Constituency and Capacity
Phase 2: Cooperative Development and a Cooperative Academy
Phase 3: Technical Assistance and Business Development Roll Out
Phase 4: Establishment of a Federation of Cooperatives
What follows is our business model for Phase 1, which is designed to introduce the concept of
worker-ownership in Los Angeles, to create and capture interest, and to build capacity for
worker-owned businesses through training, coaching, and by acting as a conduit for relationships
with resource organizations and individuals.
The Los Angeles Co-Op Lab_____________________________________________________
The goal of the Los Angeles Co-op Lab is to create a collaborative opportunity where people
who are interested in learning about and starting a worker-owned business can create, experiment
and test ideas. The Lab will support the development of conceptual and practical tools as well as
facilitate conversations to aid the growth of worker cooperatives. Through these conversations
and points of outreach, the Lab will identify opportunities for new co-ops (whether start-ups or
business conversions), and draw upon our extensive network of local and national business
experts to provide support and value for these emerging cooperatives.
As demand for cooperative resources and services grows, the Lab will begin experimenting with
the feasibility of creating an entity that will support the development of cooperatives with
education, technical assistance and relationship building, and will likely be rolled out in the four
phases identified above.
Targeted Market _________________________________________________________
Individuals who have an interest in learning more about starting cooperatives but may
not have the capacity or resources to do so.
o This will include residents who are excluded from the current economic system
and face constant employment barriers (i.e. the undocumented community and the
formerly incarcerated).
Worker Centers/Community-Based Organizations
These organizations are key clients because they serve the above populations and have
established trusted relationships in those communities, and in some cases have already
experimented with worker ownership.
24

o Worker Centers organize to fight against exploitation and exclusion and some
have developed co-ops in the past as a way to create decent employment
opportunities for their members in alignment with their democratic values. Two
examples include a home health care co-op (Pilipino Worker Center) and a job
placement co-op for newly-certified green gardeners(IDEPSCA).
Below is a list of community-based organizations and worker centers that we have
identified as partners for our pilot educational workshops.
Pilipino Workers Center
PWC is a non-profit organization located in Historic Pilipinotown that provides programs
to help meet the immediate needs of workers and their families.
Currently incubating a ten-member home care worker-owned business and
need assistance in developing a marketing campaign.
The organization will be participating in our pilot workshop titled
“Building Our Power Through Cooperatives," a general orientation for
cooperatives and their members with a special focus on the experience of
other home care cooperatives in the United States.
The Los Angeles Black Worker Center
LABWC is a non-profit organization that develops organized power and authentic
grassroots leadership among Black workers (unionized, non-union, immigrant, formerly
incarcerated and the unemployed) and the extended community.
Interested in exploring the possibility of a construction cooperative for
their membership.
Participating in our introductory pilot workshop titled “What is a Worker
Coop?”
Community Development Technologies (CD Tech)
CDTech is a non-profit organization that acts as a catalyst for change in South LA by
activating and focusing the potential of residents and businesses. They equip residents
with training, strategies, and programs that they need to be leaders and organizers for
neighborhood improvement and economic growth. CDTech has a special relationship
with Los Angeles Trade Tech Community College in developing and implementing
curriculum in community and economic development focused on planning and
organizing.
Our pilot for CDTech took the form of discussion about potential
cooperative curriculum for future CDTech programs and classes.
We are now in the process of developing two “Introduction to Worker
Cooperatives” workshops for CDTech’s faculty and constituents.
In addition, we are working with them to design and support a one-credit
course for future CDTech programming.
25

Esperanza Community Housing Corporation
Esperanza works to achieve comprehensive and long-term community development in
the Figueroa Corridor neighborhood of South Los Angeles. They have developed a very
successful health promoter training program, have created and managed affordable
housing in South L.A., and are the owner/operator of the Mercado La Paloma. The
Mercado provides opportunities for local residents by providing affordable retail space,
creating job opportunities and an open space for empowering local artists.
Exploring the possibility of starting a doula program in South Los
Angeles. A doula is a professional labor assistant who assists a woman
during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.
Are interested in hosting an informational workshop on cooperatives
focused on access to healthy food.
East Los Angeles Community Corporation
ELACC is a community development corporation focused on developing housing for
residents, as well as increasing the quality of life for those residents and their wider
community. They believe that affordable housing, homeownership, and financial
education are crucial steps toward a broader goal of economic stability and the well-being
of their community.
The organization is working on a collaborative campaign for the
legalization of street vending in Los Angeles.
Are interested in hosting an informational workshop on worker-
ownership.
Los Angeles Food Policy Council
The LAFPC is a collective impact initiative that is working to build a Good Food system
for all Los Angeles residents where food is healthy, affordable, fair and sustainable.
AND
Leadership for Urban Renewal
LURN is a multi-disciplinary coalition that develops innovative solutions to help
revitalize communities.
LAFPC and LURN have recently partnered to create a food purchasing
cooperative for local grocers in Los Angeles.
There is an opportunity to present to their constituency on the value of
cooperatives.
26

VALUE PROPOSITION_ ________________________________________________
The Los Angeles Co-op Lab will create a collaborative opportunity where people who are
interested in learning about and starting a worker-owned business can create, experiment and test
ideas. It will support the development of conceptual and practical tools as well as facilitate
conversations to aid the growth of worker cooperatives.
Our approach is to:
Introduce the concept of worker-ownership
Tap into the skills within our network to provide value for emerging cooperatives
Identify opportunities where the desire/need for co-op development exists
Create the tools and resources needed to support the development of cooperatives
The Democracy at Work Institute has put together a framework that cooperative developers can
use to define their process and commitment level and determine what they need to do to be
successful. The spectrum spans from low-tough to high-touch, depending on how the cooperative
developer sets up their strategy. All worker cooperative developers invest staff time to support
the co-ops they are developing, and using this spectrum as a guide can help them plan the
investment of their time and money.
Low-touch developers: Play the role of coach, guiding the business and its members to build a
cooperative for themselves. The developer’s prime investment at this end of the range is their
time.
High-touch developers: Are more likely to invest financial capital in the business. They may
buy equipment or property, fund and manage construction, and provide working capital during
the start-up period. They take on greater risk.
The current value proposition of our business model focuses on the first two phases of operation
moving from low-touch to the high-touch as the number of worker cooperative businesses
increases. The overall goal is to increase the impact we make in co-op development as we begin
to roll out the subsequent phases. This will provide different value propositions for our identified
markets, and we will eventually provide separate business models for each of these markets.
Phase 1: Discovery, Education, and Building Capacity (Low-Touch)
Phase 1 will focus on introducing the concept of worker-ownership in order to identify and build
interest in, and create capacity for, worker-owned businesses.
The value proposition for this customer segment will be:
Space to explore and develop entrepreneurship.
Introductory events designed to stimulate ideas of shared business models and develop
interest in these models.
27

Sector-specific workshops that provide examples of worker-owned cooperatives in
similar industries.
Recruitment opportunity for potential member/owners of emerging cooperatives.
Redirecting and realigning existing resources in the Los Angeles cooperative
ecosystem.to provide support for emerging cooperatives.
Continuous coaching, education and guidance for developing business ideas.
Phase 2: Mutual Commitment Towards Co-op Development (Middle to High-Touch)
During Phase 2, a 10-week cooperative incubator academy will be established to provide for
conversions, start-ups, and emerging cooperatives. The roll-out of this phase will be dependent
on the demand that we establish during Phase 1.
The value proposition for this customer segment will be:
Space to explore and develop entrepreneurship ideas (Shared Learning Space).
Support from co-op lab staff and business professionals.
Access to educational workshops.
Access to business development tools and resources.
Bridges to financing options.
Access to a peer network of experienced cooperatives.
Access to finance, legal, technical and marketing resource people.
CHANNELS____________________________________________________________
The Lab will utilize the trusted relationships we have established with community-based
organizations and worker centers in order to share the concept of worker-owned businesses with
their members. We’ll rely on their trusted relationships with their members to begin assembling
relationships with people who are interested in starting a cooperative business or who have
already started a business but do not have sufficient support.
The cost of marketing and recruitment for our identified market segments is low because the our
initial outreach is staffed as volunteers. We will distribute our services directly to our community
partners through forums, workshops, and community events. We can also tap into the expertise
of the extended network of Los Angeles business experts we have identified in oder to provide
services outside our capacity for emerging cooperatives. And when needed, we’ll also be able to
utilize a mobile co-op lab to help deliver additional services. We envision a mobile co-op truck
designed to take curriculum to any neighborhood or event in the region.
What follows is our version of how channels might be phased in our initial business model.
28

Channel Phases
Awareness Evaluation Commitment Delivery Follow-up
How are we raising
awareness about our
product and
services?
How do we help
participants
evaluate our value
proposition?
How do we allow
participants to
create mutual
commitment to
worker-ownership?
How do we
deliver value
to our
participants?
How do we
provide follow-
up support?
Los
Angeles
Co-op Lab
Hosting workshops
and events
sponsored by our
partners for their
members.
Raising the
question “What is a
Cooperative?”
Meeting people
where they are:
Bringing
knowledge of
the model.
Mobile, we will
come to your
community.
Creating a space
for participants to
ask questions
about whether a
shared business
model is for them.
Making ourselves
available to
navigate their
questions.
Post-workshop
evaluations.
Providing
educational and
technical resources.
Coaching and
support.
Business
development.
Bridge to financing
resources.
Pathways to policy
changes.
Existing
relationships
with CBOs
and WCs.
Open forums
and targeted
workshops.
Through
follow-up
phone calls,
inquiries,
referrals.
Divergent
and skilled
network of
business
experts.
Additional
educational
workshops.
A possible
Cooperative
Academy.
Connect them
to the divergent
and skilled
network.
Financing
connections
(i.e. The
Working
World).
Ongoing
coaching &
guidance.
MEMBER RELATIONSHIPS________________________________________________________
The Los Angeles Co-op Lab will start out as a low-touch developer, playing the role of coach
and educator, and our prime investment will be time. We will be providing continuous coaching
and guidance to share the idea of worker cooperatives with a broad audience and build demand
for our services as more people become interested in starting cooperative businesses. Our
relationships with partners and the current cooperative ecosystem in the region will be crucial for
the co-creation of worker-owned businesses in Los Angeles.
Our first participant relationships will stem from the trust that community-based organizations
and worker centers have established with their memberships. We’ll work with community-based
organizations and worker centers to host educational forums and workshops at their facilities.
These events will create a secure and safe space for their members to learn about worker-
cooperatives and experiment with and test ideas about starting their own shared business.
29

Relationships will be developed through:
Coaching and guidance
Follow-up workshops
Co-creation of business idea development (Community Based Organizations & Worker
Center members)
Continuous educational forums and workshops
These early experiences will provide information and knowledge about where the appetite and
interest in cooperative development exists, what the developmental needs are, and whether there
is interest in particular industry sectors. This acquired knowledge will help us design a shared
program to meet those needs, which may be along the lines of a cooperative academy, a training
series, or a set of workshops interspersed with coop-specific coaching.
Once a larger desire for co-op development exists we will begin looking at developing the tools
and resources needed for a cooperative academy in which we would charge a fee for participants
to attend the sessions. We will also explore the feasibility of establishing a longer-term
membership fee for businesses, worker owners, and the community, so they can become part of a
supportive cooperative network and gain ongoing access to our tools and resources. This will be
further developed and researched during Phase 2.
REVENUE STREAMS____________________________________________________
As an educational lab and experiment, we are a community of volunteers and our learning has
been supported by Antioch University Los Angeles. Current revenue for the Lab comes from in-
kind services from our strong social network and our partnerships with worker community-based
organizations and worker centers who are co-hosting our pilot workshops. Our current goal is to
redirect and realign existing resources in our ecosystem to focus on creating things that are
necessary, desirable, or missing.
The Lab currently has a small fund to support the experimental phase (Phase 1)
Antioch University has provided a small stipend to support advisors for this project
We may pass a hat at general or follow-up workshops for donations
Phase 2: Sliding scale pricing table for services rendered, possible membership option
Key Activities_______________________________________________________
We are currently scheduling open meetings with community-based organizations and worker
centers to host our pilot workshops. We will need to establish a network of practitioners and
technical facilitators to help with future, in-depth workshops for emerging cooperatives. Team
30

members will get training in facilitation techniques in order execute curriculum as well as
identify additional facilitators within our network to teach workshops on topics in which we have
limited expertise.
Preliminary Start-Up Plan (Pilot Events: Three pilot events starting October 2015)
1. Start-up Strategy Pilots:
Develop model curricula/outreach/program for the first level
What is a Worker Coop? (Introductory workshop)
Building Our Power Through Co-ops (Inspirational workshop)
Memo on Curriculum and Educational Resources for Co-op Education
2. Test with community-based organization and worker centers
CD Tech
We developed a memo for CDTech that included worker cooperative educational
resources for the purpose of possible inclusion in future community development
curriculum.
Pilot: Memo on curriculum and educational resources on
co-op education.
Audience: Benny Torres, President/CEO and Vanessa Lovelace, Director
of Programs.
Outcome: We will be developing two workshops for CDTech and LA
Trade Tech College as well as beginning to create curriculum for a one
unit course for CDTech programming.
Los Angeles Black Worker Center (Construction)
We are currently in communication with the organization to pilot an introductory
workshop on worker-ownership for the members of the LA Black Worker Center.
Pilot: What is a Worker Co-Op? (1 hour)
Audience: Members of BWC
Outcome: We will be conducting a pilot workshop with the Black Worker
Center in the Fall of 2015.
PilipinoWorker Alliance (Home health aide emerging cooperative)
We are conducting a pilot workshop with the organization in early October. The
workshop is an inspirational workshop that will offer a space for questions and
discussion.
Pilot: Building Our Power Through Cooperatives (1 hour)
Audience: C.O.U.R.A.G.E. worker-owners
31

Outcome: We will be conducting the first pilot workshop in October and
will continue to dialogue with organization to develop future workshops.
3. Mentor Evaluation on Business Model and Curriculum
Tim Huet, Founder/In-House Counsel, Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives
Vanessa Bransburg, Co-op Developer/Consultant
Gilda Haas, Professor, Antioch University Los Angeles
Key Resources_______________________________________________________
Our key, indispensable resources are our partnerships with community-based organizations,
worker centers, and the network of business and cooperative experts we have identified
throughout the past year (which continue to grow). Without these connections, the start-up
strategy and delivery of value proposition cannot be accomplished.
In addition, the following resources need to be further developed:
Additional venues for workshops
Identifying workshop participants
Development of curriculum
Team/facilitator training
Further operational funding
Training materials
Directory of technical advisors to serve as a support network for the Los Angeles region
Key Partners___________________________________________________________
Below is a list of our current key partners and our vision for their role in relation to the Los
Angeles Co-op Lab.
Educational Institutions
Antioch University Los Angeles
Incubating the expirementation and research of this project.
UCLA Labor Center
Trusted convening space for worker centers and labor organizations.
They also have long-standing and in-depth knowledge of Los Angeles workforce
issues.
32

Principal Contact: Victor Narro, Project Director
CDTech
We are in the process of developing two “Introduction to Worker Cooperatives”
workshops for CDTech’s staff and a community coalition in which they play a
leadership role.
We are also working with them to design and support a one-credit course for
Trade Tech College.
Principal Contacts: Benny Torres, President & CEO and Vanessa Lovelance,
Director of Programs
Worker Centers
Pilipino Workers Center
We are currently in the process of developing an inspirational and information
workshop titled, “Building Our Power Through Cooperatives.”
Potential of future clients for technical and educational assistance.
Principal Contact: Lolita Andrada Lledo, Associate Director / Lead
Organizer
The Los Angeles Black Workers Center
We are currently in the process of developing an introductory workshop titled,
“What is a Worker Co-Op?”
Principal Contact: Lanita Morris, Project Director
Financing/Legal/Economic Development Entities
The Working World
Financing for emerging and start-up cooperative businesses.
Gopal Dayaneni, Antioch Climate Justice Fellow, is a board member.
Gilda Haas recently participated in a week-long Peer Network Training.
Arroyo S.E.C.O Network of Time Banks
Already has a small revolving loan fund that has provided the first loan to Pacific
Electric Worker Cooperative; has a large membership of time-bankers; hosts a
well-attended salon on issues related to the solidarity economy.
Gilda Haas is a board member.
Public Counsel
Legal services for social entrepreneurship entities. Doug Smith participated in our
Bay Area study tour.
Principal Contact: Doug Smith, Equal Justice Works Fellow - Community
Development, Public Counsel
33

Individual Partners
Vanessa Bransburg, Cooperative Development Consultant, Formerly with the Center for
Family Life.
o Advisor to this project; cooperative educator and developer.
Gopal Dayaneni, Movement Generation
o Antioch student and faculty member; Board member of The Working World.
Gilda Haas, Antioch University Los Angeles
o Educator, economic development planer, and Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Co-
Op Lab
Melissa Hoover, Democracy at Work Institute
o Cooperative developer
Paul Hudson, Hudson Consulting
o Financial and business development consultant; former CEO of Broadway
Federal Bank.
Tim Huet, Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives
o Advisor to this project and cooperative educator and developer.
Cost Structure_________________________________________________________
Phase 1 cost structures are internalized and limited to:
Volunteer time
Training materials
Workshop catering
Gas and maintenance for the Mobile Co-op Lab truck
Consultant and technical advising
Phase 2 will require additional funding and a cost analysis of return-on-investment in order to
develop capacity for worker cooperatives in Los Angeles.
34

APPENDIX B
MEMORANDUM
TO: CD TECH: BENNY TORRES AND VANESSA LOVELACE
FROM: LOS ANGELES CO-OP LAB
SUBJECT: CURRICULUM RESEARCH FOR TEACHING ABOUT WORKER COOPERATIVES
DATE: AUGUST 26, 2015
Dear CD Tech,
What follows are worker cooperative educational resources compiled by Antioch in
support of the developing “Los Angeles Co-op Lab.” We collected this information from
worker cooperative developers, colleges, and universities in the U.S. and beyond. Also
included are films, sample presentations, and an annotated bibliography.
Sincerely,
The Los Angeles Co-op Lab
The goal of the Los Angeles Co-Op Lab is to create a collaborative space where residents
who are interested in learning about and starting a worker-owned business will have the
opportunity to create, experiment with, and test ideas. It will support the development
of conceptual and practical tools as well as facilitate conversations to aid the growth of
worker cooperatives. Our approach is to introduce the concept of worker-ownership, to
gather the dispersed and divergent skills within our network to provide value for
emerging cooperatives as well as the network. In doing so, the lab will begin to identify
opportunities, where the desire for co-op development exists, and begin to create the
tools and resources needed.
35

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY COURSES AND PROGRAMS
Entity: The Evergreen State College
Title: Worker Cooperatives: An Introduction
Length: Summer quarter
Location: Olympia, WA
Format: Tuesday & Thursday evenings from 4 – 8pm
Website: http://evergreen.edu/catalog/2014-
15/programs/workercooperativesanintroduction-13407
Curriculum Overview:
This course offers a general overview of the worker cooperative business model, in
context of the history of cooperatives and international definitions of cooperatives.
Students will also come to understand the network of support and development
organizations that help build and support cooperatives in the United States and beyond.
A multimedia approach is used combining lectures, case studies, panel discussion, films,
and games to help students learn about the unique challenges of worker ownership. The
focus of the course considers the governance and accountability models used to
manage business in which the employees own and control their workplace, how worker
owners balance the needs of the business with the needs of the individual member
(including the examination financial statements and managing equity and capital) and
forms of communication needed in an organization based on, in part, the values of
equity, equality, solidarity and ethics of openness, honesty and caring for other.
Students are expected to complete and present a research project examining the
decision making, financial or accountability model of an existing worker cooperative.
Workshop & Course Outlines
36

Entity: Mondragon Team Academy
Title: Four programs with the purpose of transforming (the environment) through team
entrepreneurship and based on active learning and cooperative values.
Length: Multi-year university degrees
Location: Mondragon, Spain (with worldwide study)
Format: University classes
Website: http://mondragonteamacademy.com
Programs:
LEINN: Leadership, Entrepeneurship and Innovation Degree
LEINN is an university degree run only by Mondragon University. It's a business area
degree where the students develop their capabilities to create new companies or new
projects inside new companies. They are trained to work in a global world contributing
to the society through the innovation.
MINN: International Executive Master Program in Intrapreneurship and Open
Innovation
MINN is a lively, constantly evolving executive learning journey at the service of creative
processes, participatory and open environments. The value of MINN lies in a unique
team process for experimentation and promoting new cross-disciplinary learning. The
MINN Program started in 2010 to transform leaders and intra/entrepreneurs to be able
to transform their organizations and projects to be more innovative and successful.
MENA: Entrepreneurs of Navarra Master Program
Students focus on the following ideas: We are immersed in a complicated economic and
social context in which the challenge is creating and making possible competitive and
innovative companies and services. We must prop up the leading companies and the
most consolidated markets but watching and migrating simultaneously towards more
sustainable sectors, markets, services and positions.
TMINN: A program that starts your team coaching journey
Mondragon Team Mastery (TMINN) is a learning program in partnership with Partus LTD
(company that coaches people using Tiimiakatemia methodology). Team Mastery is the
first step on the learning journey of a team coach. The program gives students the
knowledge, skills, experiences and contacts on team coaching and "Tiimiakatemia way".
It is a 1.5 year program for teachers, entrepreneurs and managers.
37

Entity: Murphy Institute / CUNY School of Professional Studies
Title: Special Topics Graduate Class: Worker Cooperatives
Length: 4 months, Sept – Dec 2015
Location: NYC
Format: Tuesdays from 6:15pm – 8:45pm
Website: http://murphyinstituteblog.org/2015/06/15/special-topics-graduate-class-
worker-cooperatives/#sthash.bHR2sG7K.dpbs
Worker cooperatives have become a compelling alternative to traditional labor-
management forms of labor relations in the 21st century and with the rise of the Global
Financial Crisis. This class examines worker control and cooperatives in comparative
historical and geographic perspective. They examine the historical experiences of
worker cooperatives throughout the world, their successes, and challenges, and also
focus on the growing world of worker owned cooperatives in New York City, examining
the practical, economic and political aspects of their work. The class makes use of
readings, films, and guest speakers with practical expertise in worker control and
cooperatives.
Entity: Pinchot University
Title: 12-unit Certificate in Cooperative Management
Length: 1 year
Location: Seattle, WA
Format: Hybrid - Face-to-face meetings one Saturday per month and weekly distance
learning sessions in between.
Website: http://us10.campaign-
archive2.com/?u=31b3373243b45d19ca69a39c6&id=2221d7e0c2
Courses include:
Introduction to Cooperative Sector (Fall):
This course provides an introduction to the history and principles of the international
cooperative movement, as well an overview of the industry sectors and cooperative
types most common in the US. Topics include worker-owned cooperatives, producer
(agricultural) cooperatives, purchasing cooperatives, consumer cooperatives, credit
unions, housing cooperatives, and utilities.
38

Cooperative Finance and Governance (Winter):
This course offers a thorough exploration of the legal, governance, and finance issues
unique to the cooperative sector. Students will examine issues related to membership,
member investment, dividends, profit sharing, personal exit strategies, multiple classes
of stock, outside investors, and financing strategies.
Management in the Cooperative Sector (Spring):
This course looks at the general topic of management in a democratic workplace, with a
particular focus on the special challenges of employee engagement and empowerment
in the cooperative sector. Topics covered include democratic governance, leadership,
coaching, meeting facilitation, collaborative decision-making, and conflict management.
Practicum or Field Study (Summer):
For the final course, students have a choice between a practicum project or a study
abroad opportunity. In the practicum option, students will undertake a “real world”
project in the cooperative sector at their own organization, or another of their choosing.
The study abroad option will be a field study tour to Mondragon, Spain, or Emilia
Romagna, Italy, allowing students to see a mature cooperative economy in action.
Entity: University of Massachusetts
Title: UMass Cooperative Enterprise Collaborative
Length: 1 Semester
Location: Amherst, MA
Format: Two courses:
1. Introduction to the Co-operative Movement
2. Economics of Co-op Enterprises
Websites:
1. Intro: http://www.umasscec.org/?page_id=259
2. Econ: http://www.umasscec.org/?page_id=276
INTRO:
Often described as a “Third Way” or economic alternative to both capitalism and state
socialism, cooperativism has also been claimed by both of these philosophies. More
recently, the declaration of 2012 as the United Nations International Year of Co-ops has
raised the profile of cooperative enterprise as a tool for social and economic
development. This course focuses on the degree to which cooperation as both a
business model and social movement offers a viable economic alternative and tool for
social justice, economic democracy and ecological sustainability. The goal is to acquaint
39

students with the historical context and ideas that gave rise to the cooperative
movement; the evolution of cooperative enterprise; comparative models and practice;
the relevance of the cooperative alternative to contemporary economic and social
issues such as globalization, climate change and the global financial crisis; and case
studies in cooperative enterprise. The course is participatory, including individual work
and group collaboration as students seek to address the following questions:
What are the origins of the co-operative movement?
How do the conditions that gave rise to the co-operative movement compare
with contemporary issues?
What are the different forms of co-operative enterprise?
What is the concept of a co-operative economy or “Co-operative
Commonwealth”?
How might the co-operative approach be applied more effectively to
contemporary challenges and opportunities?
Do co-operative principles represent a viable alternative to capitalist and state
socialist economic approaches?
ECON (Full syllabus attached):
Economics 397 introduces the economic analysis of cooperative management. The
course syllabus was designed by the University of Massachusetts Cooperative Enterprise
Collaborative, including members of the Valley Alliance of Worker Cooperatives (VAWC)
as well as faculty and graduate students from the Economics Department and elsewhere
in the University of Massachusetts.
The course is organized around four central questions that should also inform the final
project—a business plan for a cooperative enterprise:
1. How do cooperatives and worker-owned businesses challenge or complement
the capitalist system?
2. Can cooperatives and worker-owned businesses produce better outcomes for
workers, consumers, the environment, and society as a whole?
3. Can cooperatives and worker-owned businesses successfully compete with
capitalist firms?
4. Will cooperation replace capitalism?
Note: UMass is also in the process of developing a related internship program and
Applied Economic Research Certificate which students completing this course, as well as
other requirements, will be eligible to participate in.
40

COOPERATIVE DEVELOPER ACADEMIES
Worker cooperative developers work to create good, sustainable jobs through the
development, support and promotion of worker cooperatives. There are several
different approaches to worker cooperative development, and some initiatives utilize
more than one strategy. Below are current examples of the co-op academy strategy
which brings together cohorts of teams in a community-based classroom environment
to learn cooperative and business skills, with the goal of launching new worker co-ops
after graduating.
Entity: Restaurant Opportunities Centers United
Title: COLORS Co-op Academy (for food businesses)
Length: 13-week Academy (plus a 1-year commitment for coaching and start-up)
Location: Detroit, MI
Format: Classroom training, followed by coaching and apprenticeship, and start-up
support
Website: http://rocunited.org/michigan-2/colors-co-op-academy
The COLORS Co-op Academy is an intensive learning experience designed to cultivate
new worker-owned good food businesses rooted in principles of democracy,
sustainability, and justice. They envision a community-based economy in which all
people are contributing with dignity, respect, and ownership. By linking our actions with
movements for worker and food justice, we collectively re-imagine and transform our
workplaces, communities, and our local economies. The COLORS Co-Op Academy will
help teams open worker-owned, cooperative, good food businesses.
The Academy requires a year-long commitment of three hours per week, including a
learning journey to a successful worker owned business; a thirteen-week course in
cooperative business education; one-on-one coaching with Jackie Victor, co-founder of
Avalon International Breads; personalized connections with mentors from around the
city; and access to supportive start-up funding.
The program is divided into three phases:
1. Phase I: Thirteen-week Course
2. Phase II: Coaching and Apprenticeship
3. Phase III: Worker-Owned, Good Food Business Launch
41

Entity: Cooperation Texas
Title: Cooperative Business Institute (CBI)
Length: 15 classes
Location: Austin, TX
Format: Trainings, consultations, and workshops
Website: http://cooperationtexas.coop/about-us/programs/cooperative-business-
institute
The Cooperative Business Institute (CBI) is a comprehensive training program designed
to equip participants with the skills and resources needed to start and manage a
worker-owned cooperative. Trainings, consultations, and workshops in the Cooperative
Business Institute cover topics ranging from the history, principles and values of
cooperatives to the legal, organizational and business needs specific to worker-owned
enterprises. Those interested can choose from one of the following options:
General Assistance
Cooperation Texas will work with interested participants to design the right
consultation/training package to assist with strengthening or growing a business, or
starting one from scratch.
CBI Academy
The CBI Academy is designed for teams of entrepreneurs seeking to start a worker-
owned cooperative. Composed of 15 classes, the CBI Academy walks participants
through the process of forming a worker cooperative in Texas. Graduates from the
academy walk away with the following:
A deeper understanding of the history, principles and values of the cooperative
model.
Over 50 hours of training and consultation from Cooperation Texas staff and
business professionals.
A comprehensive resource binder on worker cooperatives.
Logo and website design.
A graduate certification.
Marketing assistance to increase the public profile and visibility of their
cooperative.
A business plan for their co-op.
Concrete skills in democratic governance & management.
Concrete skills in meeting facilitation & conflict resolution.
A strong understanding of cooperative financing & financial literacy.
Legal assistance on forming a worker cooperative in Texas.
42

CBI WORKSHOPS
CBI Workshops are offered throughout the year on the following topics:
Worker Co-op 101
Democratic Governance
Democratic Management
Democratic Decision-Making & Meeting Facilitation
Effective Communication & Conflict Resolution
Worker Co-op Marketing
Worker Co-op Financing
Financial Literacy for Worker-Owners
Employee vs. Worker-Owner
Texas Co-op Law
Worker Cooperatives & Sustainability
Entity: Green Worker Cooperatives
Title: The Co-op Academy
Length: 5 months
Location: Bronx, NYC
Format: Business boot camp for cooperative start-ups, including classroom trainings;
business coaching; and business support services such as legal incorporation, graphic
design, and website development.
Website: http://www.greenworker.coop/what-is-the-coop-academy
The Co-op Academy is how we build a strong local economy rooted in democracy and
environmental justice …one cooperative at a time. It is an intensive 5-month long
training and support program that helps teams of aspiring entrepreneurs develop
worker-owned green businesses. It is unique in its focus on businesses that are both
green and worker-owned and utilizes an aggressive combination of training, coaching,
and technical services. Think of it as a business boot camp for cooperative start-ups. The
program includes classroom trainings; business coaches; and business support services
such as legal incorporation, graphic design, and website development. The course is
specifically designed so that each team is able to get their business up and running by
the completion of the course.
The Co-op Academy is designed for teams working together on a single business
concept. It is recommended that each team consist of at least three people. Through a
43

partnership with the Workshop In Business Opportunities (WIBO), a portion of the Co-
op Academy classroom trainings are delivered through WIBO’s course “How to Grow a
Profitable Business”. This partnership allows Green Worker Cooperatives to provide
teams with high quality trainings in the traditional core business fundamentals of sales,
marketing, and finance combined with a deep appreciation for environmental
sustainability and the skills of communication, and democratic management and
decision-making that distinguish a cooperative from other kinds of businesses.
Entity: Partnership between The Sustainable Economies Law Center,
Project Equity, the Green Collar Communities Clinic (GC3), and Laney
College
Title: Worker Co-op Academy
Length: 3 ½ months (August 24 – December 18, 2015)
Location: Laney College, Oakland, CA
Format: Two Phases: Phase 1 – classes and workshops, Phase 2 – individualized business
coaching and legal counsel
Website: http://www.theselc.org/worker-coop-academy
The Worker Co-op Academy is an intensive multi-month training course educating
teams of three or more who want to operate democratically-run, worker-owned
enterprises. There are six modules the Academy covers:
Governance, Management, and Leadership
Business
People and Culture
Cooperative Development
Legal Issues
Cooperativism
*Note: The leaders will be outsourcing the full curriculum in the winter of 2015.
44

Entity: The Working World
Title: Cooperative Training Program
Length: 3 months
Location: Varies within New York, based on neighborhood of interest
Format: Meetings and classroom training
Website: (Example in Far Rockaway, NY) http://www.theworkingworld.org/us/341-
2/worker-owned-rockaway-cooperatives
The Working World is a non-profit organization that provides investment capital and
technical support for worker cooperatives using an innovative finance model. Their
cooperative training programs have taken in two different New York communities: Far
Rockaway and Bed-Stuy. Their program goal is to equip residents with the skills and
financing to launch small, worker-owned businesses that fill a need in the community.
45

Slideshow Presentations:
Name: Worker Co-op 101
Creator: Stacy Cordeiro, Boston Center for Community Ownership
Link to Slides:
http://institute.usworker.coop/sites/default/files/resources/361%202013_Cordeiro_CO
-OP%20101.pdf
Name: Intro to Worker Co-ops: A Four-Part Presentation
Creator: Cultivate.coop / Rachel Anne – riseup.net
Link to slides:
http://cultivate.coop/wiki/Introduction_to_Worker_Cooperatives:_A_Four-
Part_Presentation_or_Tutorial
Name: Worker Cooperatives 101 For Potential Worker Owners in Buy Out-1.1
Creator: Democracy at Work Institute
Link to slides: https://prezi.com/nazejzcckztp/worker-cooperatives-101-for-potential-
worker-owners-in-buy-out-11
Name: Worker Co-op Basics and Development Challenges Presentation
Creator: Democracy at Work Institute
Link to slides: https://prezi.com/f2qnsxwv4hrj/copy-of-worker-coop-basics-and-
development-challenges-presentation
Name: An Introduction to Worker Cooperative Business Transition Planning
Creator: Democracy at Work Network
Link to slides: https://prezi.com/ocjgtxdsx2wv/an-introduction-to-worker-cooperative-
business-transition-planning
Informational Packets:
Name: CDI Co-op 101: A Guide to Starting a Cooperative
Link to Document: http://www.cdi.coop/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/start-up-packet-
2015-web.pdf
Name: Steps to Starting a Worker Co-op
Creator: Center for Cooperatives, University of California – Davis (Now CCCD)
Link to Document:
http://cccd.coop/files/Steps%20to%20Starting%20a%20Worker%20Coop.pdf
Sample Presentations
46

Beyond the Bottom Line
http://headlamppictures.com/worker-coops
Beyond the Bottom Line is a story of worker-entrepreneurs in dozens of communities
and nearly every kind of business…from manufacturing to health care to high tech.
Some are tiny firms, while others employ hundreds and record millions of dollars in
yearly revenues.
Can We Do It Ourselves?
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/can-we-do-it-ourselves
Can We Do It Ourselves focuses on economic philosophy with an emphasis on the
concept of economic democracy. The film helps viewers understand the difference
between a market economy in which consumer demand drives a company's supply of
goods and services, and a capitalist economy in which private owners control
production and hold a right to the profits. There is strong support for the potential
promise of a democratic economic model in which workers have more of a say in
business operations than either market or capitalist models.
Own The Change: Building Economic Democracy One Worker Co-op at a Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G1-SYMatNc
Own the Change: Building Economic Democracy One Worker Co-op at a Time is a short
documentary meant to give an overview of what a worker co-op is, how it can transform
lives and communities, and the realities of starting one. It goes through concrete steps
for building economic alternatives by creating worker-owned cooperatives. Featuring
conversations with worker-owners from: Union Cab; Ginger Moon; Arizmendi Bakery,
Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance (AORTA); New Era Windows; and more.
Shift Change
http://shiftchange.org
Shift Change tells known stories of employee owned businesses that compete
successfully in today’s economy while providing secure, dignified jobs in democratic
workplaces.
The Take
http://www.thetake.org
In the wake of Argentina's spectacular economic collapse, Latin America's most
prosperous middle class finds itself in a ghost town of abandoned factories and mass
unemployment. Thirty unemployed auto-parts workers walk into their idle factory in
Buenos Aires, roll out sleeping mats and refuse to leave. All they want is to re-start the
silent machines. But this simple act has the power to turn the globalization debate on its
head. Filmmakers Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein take viewers inside the lives of the workers
Films & Video Clips
47

and their families, who must fight for jobs and their dignity by confronting factory
owners, politicians and judges. The result is a real-life political thriller that pits ordinary
workers against the local ruling elite and the powerful forces of global capitalism.
Video clips describing new Cleveland, OH cooperatives and Mondragon (Spain)
The Mondragon Cooperative
Part I - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NORmQ8zaL1c
A visual documentary of the successful Mondragon Cooperative in the Basque region of
Spain.
Part II - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpdoNzXGmxM&feature=related
The second part of the Mondragon Cooperative success.
Evergreen Cooperatives Introductory Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt_ZHUDhKjs
The promotional video for Evergreen Cooperatives in Cleveland, Ohio
48

The Los Angeles Co-op Lab started with a 10-week intensive that was designed for three
graduate students whose capstone project was to investigate what it would take to
build capacity for worker cooperatives in Los Angeles and has since evolved into pilot
workshops designed to serve worker centers in particular, as well as other interested
groups.
What follows are materials from that experience:
1. A 10-Week Intensive that included a Bay Area Study Tour and culminated in a
planning retreat.
2. Research into three existing Cooperative Development Business Models,
deconstruction of those business models using the “Canvas” method, and
creation of our own business model for the Lab.
3. Design of basic workshops about worker cooperatives to be piloted over the next
few months, and continuing as a work-in-progress.
10-WEEK INTENSIVE
To kick-off research for the Lab, professor Gilda Haas developed a 10-week intensive
curriculum that introduced us to the foundations of worker-owned cooperatives and
several business sectors in Los Angeles that could benefit from this model. Our purpose
was to learn about worker cooperatives in the context of Los Angeles. The approach
involved a focus on key sectors, interviews with people who have researched those
sectors deeply, and encounters with worker cooperatives in those sectors. The
curriculum incorporated meetings with local business leaders in the nonprofit and for-
profit sectors, workshops, and skill-building exercises that focused on the following
sectors of the economy:
10-week Intensive Schedule:
Week 1: Residency
Introduction to capstones in general and the 10-week intensive. Organizing the class
into a democratic, decision-making, accountable body.
Los Angeles Co-op Lab
49

Week 2: Waste Sector
Lauren Ahkiam, Don’t Wast L.A. Campain (LAANE), talked about the new franchise
ordinance in Los Angeles, the waste/recycling sector, and where she sees value-added
for worker cooperatives.
Week 3: Conversation with CERO Cooperative
Conversation with Lor Holmes, manager, CERO recycling/compost cooperative in
Boston. Video about CERO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9C8WRKmmDE
Week 4: Food Waste, Compost, and the Good Food Economy
Attended the LA Food Policy Council Member Meeting. Speakers: Will Allen, Growing
Power; Karen Coca, L.A. Dept of Sanitation; Jackie Cornejo and John Guevarra, LAANE;
Dan Noble, Association of Compost Producers; Michael Martinez, L.A. Compost; Paula
Daniels (LAFPC Founder and Senior Fellow on Food Systems, Water and Climate at the
Office of Governor Jerry Brown); Clare Fox, L.A. Food Policy Council.
Week 5: Cooperatives and Healthy Food in L.A.
Conversation with Rudy Espinoza of LURN and Clare Fox of LA Food Policy Council about
possible intervention points for worker co-ops in L.A.'s food economy, as well as a
distribution coop that they are working on together to supply L.A. corner markets with
healthy, affordable food.
Week 6: Mid-course Check-in
Check-in re: how the course is going; re-affirm the method; readings; analysis.
Week 7: L.A. Health Sector
Conversation with Nancy Ibrahim, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation and Jim
Mangia, St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, about the health sector in Los Angeles
and where they see opportunities for cooperatives enterprises.
Week 8: Conversation with Circle of Life Caregiver Cooperative
Conversation with Jo Ann McNerthney, Founder, Circle of Life cooperative, Bellingham,
Washington.
Week 9: Elements of a Business Model
Gilda provided an overview of the basic elements of a (cooperative) business model.
Week 10: Choosing a Legal Entity
Brad Caftel from the Insight Center for Community Economic Development walked us
through legal and technical considerations in forming a co-op. Hosted by Doug Smith at
Public Counsel and attended by Pacific Electric Worker Owned Cooperative members.
50

COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS MODEL RESEARCH & CREATION
During the 10-week intensive, students were introduced to the concept of business
models based largely on the framework provided in Business Model Generation written
by Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur. The focus of the business model framework is
to establish how organizations create, deliver, and capture value for their products. This
approach is supported by the “Canvas,” a visual tool for collaborative brainstorming to
produce the interrelated elements of a business model. To better understand the
Canvas method, students also participated in various webinars hosted by Strategyzer,
the company behind the Business Model Generation book.
More information on the book and its concepts can be found here:
http://businessmodelgeneration.com
To build the skills necessary to create their own business models, students first
researched the selected co-op developer organizations listed below, documented their
principles and operations, and then deconstructed those models by using the Canvas
tool.
By unbundling these models, students were able to extract the entity’s best attributes
and compare them side by side to learn and evaluate what could potentially work for a
coop development organization in Los Angeles. They then produced their own model, a
work in progress that we call the Los Angeles Coop Lab.
DESIGN OF BASIC PILOT WORKSHOPS ABOUT WORKER COOPERATIVES
In order to develop pilot workshops for the Lab we identified seven worker centers in
Los Angeles:
IDEPSCA (Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California)
Pilipino Workers Center (PWC)
The Los Angeles Black Workers Center (LABWC)
Restaurant Opportunities Center
Korean Immigrant Workers Alliance
CLEAN Carwash Campaign
Garment Workers Center
51

These centers organize to fight against exploitation and exclusion and some have
developed co-ops in the past as a way to create decent employment opportunities for
their members in alignment with their democratic values. Two examples include a home
health care co-op and a job placement co-op for newly-certified green gardeners. We
are learning from their experiences and building our services to support these and other
new worker cooperatives in Los Angeles.
A meeting convened by Victor Narro, Project Director at the UCLA Labor Center, our
team, and the Executive Directors of several of these worker centers, led to discussion
and follow-up that inspired the creation of our first two pilot workshops for the Los
Angeles Black Worker Center (LABWC) and the Pilipino Worker Center (PWC). Our work
with them will culminate in October with pilot workshops titled “What is a Worker
Cooperative” for LABWC and “Real Stories. Real Coops.” for PWC. We have tailored the
focus of these introductory, one-hour workshops to account for the fact that LABWC has
not yet worked to launch a worker cooperative but PWC already has a coop operating
and our audience will include the Board of Directors who are working to sustain and
grow the COURAGE (home health care) cooperative. The goal of the workshop is to
provide the worker-owners with inspiration based upon the success of other U.S.
cooperatives, as well as facilitating a discussion about what it might take for the
COURAGE Cooperative to be more successful.
52

Below is a list of people to date who have been helpful in the effort to create the Los
Angeles Co-op Lab.
Formal Advisors:
Tim Huet
Co-founder of the Arizmendi Bakery Cooperatives and Association
Tim is a formal advisor to this project.
Info: http://arizmendi.coop
Vanessa Bransburg
Formerly with the Center for Family Life in NYC, Vanessa is a cooperative
educator and developer presently living in San Diego.
Vanessa is a formal advisor to this project.
Info: https://www.usworker.coop/about/staff-board
Additional Resource People:
Lauren Ahkiam
Senior Research & Policy Analyst, Don’t Waste L.A. Campaign (LAANE)
Lauren presented about a new franchise ordinance in Los Angeles, the waste/recycling
sector, and where she sees value-added for worker cooperatives.
Info: http://www.laane.org/person/ahkiam
Brad Caftel
Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer, Insight Center for Community Economic
Development
Brad presented on the legal and technical considerations in forming a worker-owned
cooperative.
Info: http://www.insightcced.org
Scott Cummings
Robert Henigson Professor of Legal Ethics and Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
Scott advised and collaborated on a parallel cooperative research project, and we, in
turn collaborated with two of his law students, Kelly Orians and Rica Garcia, who
produced a substantial research report on the topic of the most appropriate cooperative
entities for undocumented and formerly incarcerated workers.
Info: https://law.ucla.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/scott-l-cummings
Resource Network of People & Organizations
53

Gopal Dayaneni
Movement Generation: Justice and Ecology Project
Staff Collective Member & Planning Committee Member, Working World
The Working World, Board member
Gopal is an advisor to this project and introduced us to The Working World. Gopal is also
Antioch University’s first Climate Justice Fellow.
Info: http://www.theworkingworld.org/us, http://movementgeneration.org
Steve Dubb
Director of Special Projects of the Democracy Collaborative
Steve educated us about the evolution of the Evergreen Cooperatives as well as their
larger approach to cooperative development and economic democracy.
Info: http://democracycollaborative.org/content/steve-dubb
Rudy Espinoza
Executive Director, Leadership for Urban Renewal (LURN)
Rudy presented on the possible intervention points for worker co-ops in L.A.'s food
economy and is currently working on a distribution cooperative to supply corner
Info: http://www.lurnnetwork.org
Clare Fox
Director of Policy and Innovation, Los Angeles Food Policy Council
Claire presented on the possible intervention points for worker co-ops in L.A.'s food
economy and is currently working on a distribution cooperative to supply corner
Info: http://goodfoodla.org/lafpc-staff
Lor Holmes
Manager, CERO (Cooperative Energy, Recycling & Organics)
Lor gave a presentation about the start-up of recycling/compost cooperative, CERO, in
Boston, including in-depth information about their funding strategies.
Info: http://www.cero.coop/cero-story
Melissa Hoover
Executive Director of the Democracy at Work Institute
Melissa participated in a panel about worker cooperatives with our team and gave a
special presentation to the students about the role of cooperative developers and the
spectrum of “low touch” and “high touch” approaches to their work.
Info: http://institute.usworker.coop/about-dawi/staff-board
54

Nancy Ibrahim
Executive Director, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation
Nancy shared her knowledge about the health sector in Los Angeles and where she sees
Info: http://www.esperanzacommunityhousing.org
Sushil Jacobs
Staff Attorney & Clinical Instructor, Housing Practice, East Bay Law Center
Sushil participated in a panel about worker cooperatives with our team.
Info: http://www.ebclc.org/index.php
Camille Kerr
Director of Field-Building, Democracy at Work Institute, Chair Board Member, PROSPERA
(formerly known as WAGES)
Camille educated the students about WAGES’s business model.
Info: http://institute.usworker.coop, http://prosperacoops.org
Lolita Andrada Lledo
Associate Director / Lead Organizer, Pilipino Worker Center
Educated the students about C.O.U.R.A.G.E home health aide cooperative in Los Angeles
and will be partnering with the Lab to pilot a workshop.
Info: http://pwcsc.org
Jim Mangia
Chief Executive Officer, St. John’s Well Child and Family Center
Jim shared his knowledge about the health sector in Los Angeles and where he sees
Info: http://www.wellchild.org
Jo Ann McNerthney
Founder, Circle of Life Cooperative
Jo Ann described the history, structure, successes and challenges of the Circle of Life
home care cooperative.
Info: http://www.circleoflife.coop
Lanita Morris
Project Director, Los Angeles Black Worker Center
Lanita participated in an Antioch residency with the students focused on the LABWC’s
current organizing efforts, helped brainstorm ideas about the potential of worker
cooperatives for their membership, and will be hosting a pilot project with the Lab in
the fall of 2015.
Info: http://lablackworkercenter.org
55

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