I’m interested in leftist opinions of employee-owned companies. If that’s still too broad, could you give some examples of employees buying their employer out? Or are there other ways, like with a union?

Also, what’s up with King Arthur’s and Bob’s Red Mill?

  • BCsven@lemmy.ca
    37·
    3 days ago

    With a Union you still have an adversarial owner who makes company decisions. Coop stuff is voted on by the coop owners, direction of profit is determined by coop mandate.

    Eg, we are with a Credit Union for banking, we vote on new policy changes that affect members investments.

    For MEC (mountain equipment company) it is coop, we voted who gets to be a board member running the company.

      • BCsven@lemmy.ca
        9·
        3 days ago

        Yeah, I failed to expand on the example. During COVID they faced bankruptcy and the board sold out (without consulting members) I assume there could have been a lawsuit over that but due to bankruptcy a lawsuit would probably not gain anything. Prior to the sellout though we as members got info and choices on voting who ran it, and profit sharing rebates when times were good. In the final years it seemed people voted in CEO types rather than enthusiast outdoor types. Not sure if that led to the collapse, or it was already headed that way.

        When it was operating as a coop years back items were affordable and we still had profit, something changed toward covid era though, maybe markets shifted and MEC didn’t adapt. They still sell some good stuff but a lot of it now is MEC branded AliExpress stuff. Also don’t buy their MEC branded inner tubes they barely last a few rides.

    • Natanael@slrpnk.net
      4·
      3 days ago

      And you can have a union even in a co-op (would mostly help if the majority / appointed leaders make decisions that break some rules, think enforcing safety rules and such)