COOP SAVANNAH: A Democratic Solution for Social and Economic Inequality

Savannah, Georgia suffers severe social and economic inequality.  The reality of unemployment and underemployment has created a “tale of two cities.”  According to the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless, our city boasts a homeless population of over 4,500 individuals and does not account for the 783 students identified as homeless by the Chatham County Public School System.  The city has additionally experienced an increase in homeless service men and women now numbering 286 veterans. The situation is much worse when one accounts for the fact that the local minimum wage is $7.25 hour; according to an MIT study, an hourly wage of $11.89 constitutes a living wage.   This means that economic inequality is a systemic problem built into the very foundation of our economic and political institutions and is a serious problem that our leaders and government officials refuse to acknowledge.

In order to address this crisis, we the people of Savannah, Georgia; hereby demand that of our local economic and political leaders allocate public funds for a worker cooperative sector as a means of creating jobs and building community. According to the Democracy At Work Institute, “A worker cooperative is a values-driven business that puts worker and community benefit at the core of its purpose. The two central characteristics of worker cooperatives are that workers own the business and they participate in its financial success on the basis of their labor contribution to the cooperative and that they have representation on and vote for the board of directors, adhering to the principle of one worker, one vote….This model has proven effective for creating and maintaining sustainable, dignified jobs; generating wealth; improving the quality of life of workers; and promoting community and local economic development, particularly for people who lack access to business ownership or even sustainable work options.”  And according to United for a Fair Economy: “One of the main barriers to business ownership for people of color is access to start-up capital…. [Worker cooperatives make] business ownership more accessible.”

We encourage the people of Savannah to support our grassroots efforts to effect change.   We believe that a publically funded worker cooperative sector of our local economy can offer a democratic solution for the social and economic inequality of Savannah.

Learn More:

https://www.democracyatwork.info/​

https://institute.coop/what-worker-cooperative