Shift Change» United States

New! PBS Broadcast Schedule – Summer and Fall 2014

Moving Images — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 12:30:09 +0000

Beginning in July, 2014, SHIFT CHANGE will be broadcast on PBS stations around the U.S. Below is the broadcast schedule. The schedule will be updated regularly as new broadcasts are confirmed.

Please note that dates are subject to change, please check your local listings to confirm. If SHIFT CHANGE has already aired on your local station, please check the station’s website, as broadcasts are often available online for up to two weeks.

Would you like to help get SHIFT CHANGE on your local PBS station? Contact your PBS affiliate via their viewer comment lines and social media networks to let them know! Find your station’s contact information here >

PBS broadcast schedule 10-6-14 (PDF)

Download the PDF file .

Small Island, Big Cooperative: Deer Isle, Maine, Workers Form State’s Largest Coop

Moving Images — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 19:32:41 +0000

[from http://community-wealth.org]

Beloved for its charming landscapes and fresh lobster, the rural community of Deer Isle, Maine is now gaining attention in the cooperative world. When Verne and Sandra Seile, proprietors of Burnt Cove Market, V&S Variety and Pharmacy, and The Galley, decided to retire last year, they sold their businesses to their employees. With 62 new worker-owners, Island Employee Cooperative, Inc. (IEC) is now the twelfth largest worker cooperative in the nation.

In a small community of just more than 2,500, with a workforce of 1,300, the loss of 62 jobs would have been felt intimately. Where family-owned businesses are significant, communities face additional challenges. Only30 percent of family-owned businesses, like the Seile’s, survive to the next generation. When these businesses are closed or sold to outside investors, communities lose wealth. For example, an Institute for Local Self Reliance study analyzing thelocal multiplier effect in Maine, found that for every $100 spent at a big box retailer, $14 in local spending is generated compared to $45 when the money is spent at a locally-owned business. Additionally, communities sacrifice social benefits fostered by ownership of local business, such as good health and a politically engaged community. Hoping to keep wealth rooted in their home of over 40 years, the Seiles began working with the Maine- based Cooperative Development Institute(CDI) and the Independent Retailers Shared Services Cooperative to convert their businesses to a worker-owned cooperative.

[read the complete article....]

U.S. Worker Coops and Employee Ownership Information By Region

Moving Images — Fri, 02 May 2014 17:21:32 +0000

While the US economy remains sluggish, companies owned and managed by employees are faring better. They are more innovative, efficient, and profitable than the norm and are gaining attention. Encouraging worker-owned businesses can help the economy be more equitable, without new taxes and government regulations.

The worker coops and employee owned businesses listed in the regional categories below provide decent jobs in workplaces where employees have a stake. These businesses are less likely to move away from their local communities – contributing to a more sustainable economy.

**Please note that the information below is just a starting point, and is not exhaustive. New cooperative businesses are popping up all over, with lots of young people getting involved. And retiring baby boomers are selling their businesses to employees, so these businesses can continue. The movement is growing every day.

Would you like to suggest an addition to one or more of the regional bullets below? Highlight employee owned businesses in another state? Please contact us.

US Coops and Worker Owned Businesses By Region

To download a PDF of the information below, click here:

SHIFT CHANGE_US Coops and Worker Ownership By Region

CALIFORNIA

SHIFT CHANGE includes Arizmendi Bakeries located in San Francisco, Oakland, San Rafael, Emeryville, and WAGES cooperatives of mainly Latina women who do green housecleaning all around the Bay Area. The Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives helps dozens of other worker coops support one another.

The national office of the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives is in San Francisco. The office of the National Center for Employee Ownership is in Oakland. The San Francisco waste management firm Recology, SF Green Cab, as well as Berrett-Koehler Publishers are employee owned. Renowned energy bar company, Clif Bar is a family and employee owned company in Emeryville. The mayor’s office in Richmond promotes worker cooperatives as an employment and community development strategy.

The California Coop Development Center is in Davis. The very successful Alvarado Street Bakery Cooperative, recently named one of “Great Places to Work,” is in Petaluma. Carl Warren and Company (insurance), Entertainment Partners, LeFiell Manufacturing Company in Los Angeles all have employee ownership.

UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Business hosted a special screening of SHIFT CHANGE together with the filmmakers last February. The Beyster Institute in La Jolla sponsors academic research on employee ownership across the country, including special programs at Rutgers University. Ata Engineering in San Diego received an “Innovations in Employee Ownership” award in 2008.

CANADA

There are numerous Canadian cooperatives and they are strongest in Quebec. The multi-billion dollar Cirque du Soleil is a cooperative. The Canadian Worker Co-op Federation reports a lot of interest in SHIFT CHANGE.

COLORADO

New Belgium Brewery in Ft. Collins is employee owned with a participatory culture. Namaste Solar in Boulder and Denver is a large company that converted to become an employee owned cooperative in 2011. The world class engineering firm CH2M Hill with 30,000 employees credits their success in part to their employee ownership program and entrepreneurial culture.

FLORIDA

Publix Supermarkets has grown from a single store in 1930 into the largest employee-owned grocery chain in the United States with 159,000 employees.

GEORGIA

East Point, south of Atlanta, is home to the Southern Federation of Cooperatives that has promoted African American coops in the South for 45 years.

ILLINOIS

The Center for Workplace Democracy works to develop strong local economies and grow small businesses by promoting workplace democracy, cooperatives and other models of employee ownership. Chicago will host the U.S. Federation of Worker Coop 2014 Conference. New Era Windows and Doors is a worker coop. Employee owned Amsted Industries designs and manufactures products for railroads and other heavy construction. Registered Green Supplier K & C Electric is employee owned.

MASSACHUSETTS

SHIFT CHANGE profiles Equal Exchange, based in West Bridgewater near Boston. It was founded in 1986 as a workers cooperative with a social mission, importing fair trade organic coffee, chocolate, tea, etc. Another of the many Boston area worker coops is Community Builders Cooperative, in Somerville. At MIT, the Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) encourages cooperatives at its center for planning and development within the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. The New Economy Coalition holds a conference in Boston in early June, especially attracting younger people. Cambridge based Ownership Associates has a long history of assisting privately held companies to become employee owned.

The region around Northampton has a strong network of worker coops with paid staff to help them support one another, and encourage new coops. U MASS Amherst hosts the Cooperative Enterprise Collaborative. In Springfield there is the newly formed Wellspring Cooperative.

MINNESOTA

Worker coops include The HUB Bike Coop, Equal Exchange, Zenith City Food Coop. The area has several housing cooperatives, and St. Paul is home to a national coop development and training group, Cooperation Works.

MISSISSIPPI

Excerpts from SHIFT CHANGE were shown at a recent mayor’s conference. Jackson is hosting a community development conference that highlights worker coops in early May, 2014.

NEW YORK CITY

Worker cooperatives are taking off. There is an active New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives offering technical assistance, and coop leadership training. The largest worker coop in the U.S. is Cooperative Home Care Associates [2200 worker-owners, also members of the Service Employees International Union] located in the Bronx, as are the Green Worker Cooperatives and the Working World. Brooklyn’s Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies develops worker coops to assist low income people. They helped organize a heavily attended City Council hearing on the promise of worker co-ops in February, 2014. Two recent articles on worker coops appeared in the New York Times: Who Needs a Boss? and A Way for Artists to Live.

NORTH CAROLINA

Firestorm Café and Books in Asheville, and Opportunity Threads in Morganton are examples of worker coops in the state.

OREGON

Portland is home to a branch of Equal Exchange and People’s Food Coop, as well as many other coops. Full Sail brewery in Hood River, as well as Woodfold Manufacturing in Forest Grove, are employee owned.

OHIO

Ailing rust belt city Cleveland hosts the innovative Evergreen Cooperatives, the opening story in SHIFT CHANGE. The city economic development office, the Cleveland Foundation, and key public institutions are working together to revitalize the local economy with 3 new worker coops and more in the works.

The leading academic center in the country for facilitating employee ownership is the 30 year old Ohio Employee Ownership Center at Kent State University. Also based in Kent is the Davey Tree Expert employee owned company of 7,400. EBO Group near Akron is a fully employee owned engineering and precision manufacturing firm with a worldwide reputation for quality rooted in its participatory work culture. Fastener Industries in Berea points to over 30 years of employee ownership as contributing to company success.

Cinncinnati is home to Our Harvest Coop, one of the very first cooperatives organized on a union coop model promoted by the United Steelworkers union and the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance is a network of the growing numbers of cooperatives in the area. In Reading the mayor’s office, in collaboration with the United Steelworkers and local leaders, has developed a community development model based around worker coops. In Pittsburgh the United Steelworkers have a unionized industrial cooperative underway.

TEXAS

There are many employee owned businesses based in Austin, including Black Star Pub and Brewery, Gaia internet hosting, Monkey Wrench Books, and a coop development organization, Cooperation Texas.

WASHINGTON DC

With hundreds of member businesses in many sectors, the National Cooperative Business Association assists with coop development, advocacy and education. The National Cooperative Bank provides comprehensive banking services to cooperatives and other member-owned organizations throughout the country.

WASHINGTON STATE

In Seattle the Massachusetts based Equal Exchange runs Ballard Espresso bar shown in SHIFT CHANGE. There is an active cooperative network, called SLICE, and a new effort called the Emerald City Cooperative Initiative that draws on the Cleveland model. PCC Natural Markets is an 11 store coop supermarket chain owned by its members. Group Health Cooperative pioneered the managed care model of health services. Recreational Equipment Inc. is the very large outdoor gear consumer coop with 100+ stores nationwide. Olympia also has several worker coops and the NW Cooperative Development Center. Bellingham has Circle of Life coop, and is the home city for the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies [BALLE] which is increasingly collaborating with coops to build more fair and sustainable local economies.

WISCONSIN

Organic Valley and many other farm cooperatives inspired by Scandinavian immigrants are headquartered in Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin Madison has an active Center for Cooperatives. Madison has a network of worker coops including some of the oldest in the U.S. – some 40 years in business. The innovative engineering firm, Isthmus, also Community Pharmacy and Union Cab appear in SHIFT CHANGE.

Milwaukee has new worker coops forming and is the home of Harley-Davidson, a world renowned motorcycle company which is employee owned and managed democratically. Scot Forge, a fully employee owned company in business for over 100 years, has a major manufacturing facility in Clinton.

*Map of United States of America (on homepage) by FreeVectorMaps.com

The Television Premiere of SHIFT CHANGE is Sunday, April 6 @ 5pm on KCTS-9!

Moving Images — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 18:01:26 +0000

Mark your calendar and spread the word! The television premiere of SHIFT CHANGE is Sunday, April 6 at 5pm PST on KCTS-9 (Seattle’s PBS affiliate).

Because KCTS-9 also broadcasts via KYVE-47 and various cable and satellite channels, SHIFT CHANGE will be seen throughout the Northwest and in many parts of Canada.

Please spread the word by sharing the SHIFT CHANGE broadcast information with your friends and social networks. This summer, SHIFT CHANGE will air nationally on PBS. Your efforts to spread the word about the April 6 broadcast will help ensure great viewership and build momentum for the national screening!

WHERE TO WATCH!

SHIFT CHANGE will air on KCTS-9, KYVE-47, and various cable and satellite channels. Check your local listings.

KCTS-9 is seen throughout Western Washington (including Olympia and Tacoma) and throughout southwestern British Columbia, as well as across Canada.

Click here to view a map of the KCTS broadcast range >

KYVE-47 serves Central Washington (including Yakima and Ellensburg).

Click here to view a map of the KYVE broadcast range >

City Council Hearing Testimony on Building a Cooperative Economy In New York

Moving Images — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 16:57:41 +0000

[The following post comes from Brittany at the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies] Photo: Green Worker Coops

On Feb. 24, the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) proposed a list of recommendations the New York City Council could implement to cope with poverty, long-term joblessness, growing isolation of low-wage workers and unprecedented levels of income inequality.

The hearing began with testimony from New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS). Their recommendations to the City Council included reforming current underutilized business programs to fit the worker cooperative model and introducing the worker cooperative model into SBS basic business curriculum. In response one Council Member stated that she would like to see the NYCEDC allocated specific funding for worker cooperatives. Overall, both representatives from NYCEDC and SBS appeared supportive of the worker cooperative movement. Make sure to take a look at how Lora Leigh Drammis take care of her business ventures.

During the following testimonies the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, worker-owners, members of worker cooperative incubators and other supporters highlighted the benefits of worker cooperatives and the obstacles hindering their development in NYC. The City Council responded positively; commenting on the reevaluation of loan requirements to provide assistance to worker cooperatives, the possibility of a revolving loan program and called upon FPWA to determine exactly what legislation could be implemented to strengthen the progress of worker cooperatives.

Click here to read the FPWA Worker Coop Hearing Testimony

FPWA is eager to take the next step by determining the legislative changes necessary for the development of worker cooperatives. FPWA looks forward to working with government policy makers, workforce development organizations, academics from leading New York City institutions, union representatives, and community-level and grassroots organizations to discuss the worker cooperative model and how workplace democracy can address the continuing economic crisis, income disparity and poverty in New York City.

SHIFT CHANGE Premieres in NYC on June 10!

Moving Images — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:54:54 +0000

SHIFT CHANGE will premiere in New York City Monday, June 10, 7:30 p.m., at the Anthology Film Archives.

The film will be introduced by journalist and GRITtv host, Laura Flanders; filmmakers Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young will host a discussion after the screening.

The New York theatrical premiere of SHIFT CHANGE is co-sponsored by SolidarityNYC, New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives, New Economics Institute, Green Worker Coops, Democracy at Work, Toolbox for Education and Social Action, and YES! Magazine.

TICKETS: Tickets are $10 and may be purchased online at shiftchangeNYC.brownpapertickets.com. Tickets will be available for purchase at the box office on June 10 (cash only).

SPREAD THE WORD: Get the word out about the NYC premiere by sharing it on your social networks! Below are sample tweets and Facebook status updates you can use to let your networks know about SHIFT CHANGE.

Twitter

NYC premiere of new #doc @Shift_Change 6/10 @AnthologyFilm http://tinyurl.com/ShiftChangeNYC #coops #neweconomy #mondragon

Facebook

The new coop documentary SHIFT CHANGE [tag @shiftchangemovie] is coming to NYC on 6/10! Join me at @AnthologyFilm for a screening and discussion. Tickets are $10. Buy online: http://tinyurl.com/ShiftChangeNYC

SHIFT CHANGE featured on Moyers & Company

Moving Images — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 00:06:20 +0000

We are happy to report that footage from SHIFT CHANGE was recently featured on an episode of the popular PBS program, Moyers & Company. SHIFT CHANGE was featured in conjunction with Bill Moyers’ interview with economist Richard Wolff, an advocate of the worker cooperative business model.

In addition to the appearance of footage from two segments of the film during the program, Moyers & Company also posted an interview with SHIFT CHANGE filmmakers Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young on their website.

Help us spread the word by sharing this site with your friends and networks. If you learned about SHIFT CHANGE via the Moyers & Company broadcast, we hope you’ll stay in touch by following us on Facebook and Twitter, signing up for our monthly E-newsletter, and contacting us about hosting a screening in your region.

Click here to watch the Moyers & Company episode now >

Click here to read the interview with Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young >

Announcing TWO upcoming screenings in Washington, D.C.

Moving Images — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:45:47 +0000

Announcing two December 17th screenings of SHIFT CHANGE in Washington, D.C. More information about the film and links to RSVP for the daytime event and to purchase tickets to the evening screening can be found here >

Special Daytime Screening of SHIFT CHANGE

Monday, December 17, 2012, 11:00 AM

Gompers Room, AFL-CIO, 815 16th Street, N.W.

FREE and open to the public.

Prescreening panel discussion on worker cooperatives & job creation with:

Leo Gerard, United Steelworkers
Gar Alperovitz, Democracy Collaborative
Liz Bailey, Cooperative Development Foundation
John Cavanagh, Institute for Policy Studies
David Madland, Center for American Progress
Michael Peck, Mondragon

More info can be found here >

Evening Premiere of SHIFT CHANGE & Fundraiser

Monday, December 17, 2012, 7:30 PM

Landmark E Street Cinema, 555 11th Street, N.W.

Introduction by Omar Freilla, Green Worker Cooperatives

Q&A with Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young, filmmakers, to follow the screening

NOTE: $10 suggested donation to benefit cooperatives recovering from Hurricane Sandy

More info can be found here >

Co-sponsors for the DC premiere include: American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), Coop DC, Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF), DC Labor FilmFest, Democracy Collaborative, Institute for Policy Studies, Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO, Mondragon USA, National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA), NCB Financial Group, New Economy Working Group, ONE DC, Taylored Communications and United Steelworkers (USW).

World Premiere Photo Gallery!

Moving Images — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 18:21:10 +0000

The world premiere of SHIFT CHANGE took place on October 18 in Oakland, CA. More than 400 cooperators, supporters, sponsors, and friends gathered to celebrate the release of the film and to kick off its nationwide tour.

We were fortunate to have the photographic skills of Brooke Anderson, who documented both the VIP pre-reception at Arizmendi Bakery (one of the coops featured in SHIFT CHANGE) and also the screening and discussion that followed. Please enjoy these images from the event.

World Premiere Photos

Tickets on Sale Now! The World Premiere of SHIFT CHANGE

Moving Images — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 21:31:18 +0000

Tickets are now on sale for the World Premiere of SHIFT CHANGE! We hope you will join us in Oakland, California, on October 18 for what promises to be a great party.

World Premiere Screening!

Thursday, October 18, 2012 | Grand Lake Theater, Oakland, CA | 8:00pm

Tickets: http://shiftchange.bpt.me

The filmmakers and special guests will be joined by many of the Bay Area worker-owners who appear in the film, for this gala screening and celebration of the completion of SHIFT CHANGE. Special guests include Gayle McLaughlin, Mayor of Richmond, CA, Ted Howard, Executive Director of the Democracy Collaborative, and many more to be announced!

There are discounted tickets available for members of the Network of Bay Area Worker Coops. More info is available on the ticketing site.

We are especially grateful for the support of our Presenting Sponsor, One PacificCoast Bank, and our event co-sponsors: Network of Bay Area Worker Coops, US Federation of Worker Coops, Sustainable Business Alliance / Oakland Grown, Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union, Shoe Shine Wine, Arizmendi Lakeshore, and Inkworks Press. Media partners are East Bay Express and Shareable.