Valley Alliance of Worker Cooperatives
From VAWC
We, the members of the Valley Alliance of Worker Cooperatives, are dedicated to building a sustainable local economy by facilitating the support, development and promotion of worker cooperatives in Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont.
- Read our Mission statement
- Read more About us and our current projects
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[edit] Join us at these great upcoming events...
[edit] Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy 5th Biennial Conference
Democracy Works: Worker Cooperatives, Labor Solidarity and Sustainability
Friday to Sunday, July 31 to August 2, 2009 at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Registration is Open (Early Bird Discounts until June 26th): Register Now! Join worker co-ops, majority worker-owned firms, and support organizations committed to workplace democracy as we move towards sharing our knowledge, strengthening our businesses and the economic democracy movement, and organizing for workplace democracy in the eastern region of the U. S.
Keynote by Frances Moore Lappé
Plenary: Economic Discovery: Moving Toward Democratic Control of the Economy Panelists Included: Hazel Corcoran (Canadian Federation of Worker Co-ops), John Curl (author), John Logue (Ohio Employee Ownership Center), Melissa Hoover (U.S. Federation of Worker Co-ops), Charlie McCollister (Author and Historian, Pittsburgh)
Stay tuned for more information in the coming months. If you have feedback, recommendations, or would like to assist on the ground, please email us: info@east.usworker.coop
Visit ECWD's website for more information.
[edit] Rethinking Marxism Conference, 2009
New Marxian Times
November 5 to 8, 2009, Umass Amherst
In addition to two plenary sessions and an art exhibition, there will be concurrent panels, workshops, and art/cultural events. We invite the submission of organized sessions that follow traditional or non-traditional formats (such as workshops, roundtables, and dialogue among and between presenters and audience) as well as individual presentations.
Click here for more information.
[edit] ...or to learn about what events we've been a part of in the past you can go to our Events page.
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[edit] Members of the Valley Alliance
- Collective Copies (Amherst, Florence, and Belchertown, MA)
- Collective Voice (Northampton, MA)
- Co-op 108 (Haydenville, MA)
- Food For Thought Books (Amherst, MA)
- GAIA Host Collective (Greenfield, MA)
- Green Mountain Spinnery (Putney, VT)
- Pedal People (Northampton, MA)
- Pelham Auto (Belchertown, MA)
- Pioneer Valley Photovoltaics (Greenfield, MA)
- Repair Collective (Northampton, MA)
- Ronin Tech Collective (Brattleboro, VT)
[edit] Our Allies
- Community Economies Research Group
- Co-operative Capital Fund
- Co-operative Development Institute
- Co-operative Fund of New England
- Fall of the West Records
- US Solidarity Economy Network
We are proud to be members of the United States Federation of Worker Co-operatives.
[edit] In the Press
Read our letter to the editor of Green Living Stephen Morris from September, 2008.
Check out a Hampshire Gazette Op-Ed by Steve Strimer of Collective Copies from November, 2007.
[edit] Get Involved
We have regular monthly meetings where we can connect and work with each other. You can call or join one or both of our listservs. Just send an email to the subscribe addresses below:
News and Announcements: (1-3 msg/month)
vawcnews-subscribe@lists.valleyworker.org
Regular Discussion: (volume varies: 1-7 msgs/week)
alliance-subscribe@lists.valleyworker.org
[edit] Curious?
Are you considering working in a co-operative? Want to schedule a workshop for your group or organization? Do you want to learn more about how co-operatives work? Give us a call at 1-888-682-4801.
You can also learn about where we'll be or workshops we've presented in the past on our Events page.
