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By Arturo Sanchez The contemporary urban landscape is rapidly being transformed by massive waves of non-European immigration. This movement of Third World peoples to the “American City” is viewed by many influential decisionmakers as problematic. In the popular mind, large-scale immigrant clusters are seen as sites of disorder and are associated with the breakup of […]
Column The Seventh Generation by Tom Angotti Articles Organizing A Childcare Union In Philadelphia By Peter Pitegoff Worker Coops By Chitra Somayaji Employee Stock Ownership — ESOPS By Corey Rosen The Uncertain Future Of Worker Ownership: Two Decades Of Lessons By Len Krimerman Immigrant Economies and New York City’s Garment Industry: Challenges for Community Development […]
By Tarry Hum Despite its dramatic and continued decline, apparel production remains the largest manufacturing industry in New York City. It is viable, in large part, due to the mass influx of new immigrants “sweating” it out in cramped, poorly ventilated factories for a piece-rate that averages a dollar or so per assembled garment. The […]
By Len Krimerman Worker-owned enterprises, sometimes called “worker cooperatives,” have a long history, even in the United States. But they face an uncertain future. In May, 1791, Philadelphia’s Journeyman Carpenters started the nation’s first working-class cooperative. A century or so later, the Knights of Labor were advocating industrial cooperatives as a way to replace the […]
By Corey Rosen If you’ve worn Gore-Tex lately or flown on United Airlines, you’ve patronized a company most of whose stock is owned widely by its workers, through employee stock ownership plans, or ESOPs. During the last decade, the number of ESOPs and their control of assets has boomed. ESOPs now exist in about 11,000 […]
By Chitra Somayaji Cooperatives come in several types: producer-owned, consumer-owned, and worker-owned, the last being our focus here. Unlike ESOPs, pure worker coops are 100% controlled by the worker-owners, normally on a one-person one-vote basis (although some coops have hired additional employees who are not owners). Worker-owned coops are most prevalent in bookstores, building/renovation firms, […]
By Peter Pitegoff “What an awesome gathering!” Kim Cook, a union organizer from Seattle, smiled as she looked around the meeting room of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees in Philadelphia in mid-June. Just one month earlier, this affiliate of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) had chartered […]
On May 12, the largest union demonstration in years hit New York City streets. Workers from the public sector, services, and construction trades came together to demand that city and state surpluses go to raise worker pay instead of tax breaks for the rich. Even the police union was there. This is yet another sign […]
Column The Seventh Generation by Marie Kennedy Articles URBAN PLANNING IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY: In the Shadows by June Manning Thomas and Marsha Ritzdorf RESTRICTING OCCUPANCY, HURTING FAMILIES by Ellen Pader THE INVASION OF AZTLÁN AND STRUGGLES FOR LAND by Teresa Córdova VISIONS OF HOPE FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR: A Framework for Communication and […]
By Karen Umemoto There is a lot of talk about multiculturalism in planning. Planning programs and agencies often stress the need for planning staff to be able to work in “diverse communities.” Sometimes this simply means placing planners of certain ethnic backgrounds in communities whose residents share the same ethnic heritage. While this may be […]
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Progressive City: Radical Alternatives is an online publication dedicated to ideas and practices that advance racial, economic, and social justice in cities. We feature stories on inclusive urban planning practices, grassroots organizing, and civic action. Our contributors and readers are activists, reporters, practitioners, academics, and community members. Learn more about Progressive City and learn how to submit articles..
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