Strategies for developing immigrant worker co-ops

This multi-sectoral support extends the networks of the members and increases the variety of resources available to members, including training and fiscal support.8 Given the types of industries often open to immigrants, there is a greater likelihood of having a quality job in a worker co-op with better and safer workplace conditions, and greater flexibility for the workers. [...] Clarity of Goals for the Co-op in Development If a group of immigrants is to take advantage of the benefits of formal co-operation, the group must be able to start and operate a worker co-op which will successfully launch and then be sustainable. [...] But I think the value for the people who are members of the co-op … is that over the nine years of the co-op’s existence, through exposing the broader community to the cultural foods, the women feel that they’re getting a part of themselves out to the community. [...] The limitation of this model is the need to have a well-funded non-profit arm which supports the success of the worker co-ops in the marketplace. [...] Devco, a co-operative development group working on behalf of CCEDNet for the project, facilitated and guided the group through the formation and incorporation process, while the ISS provided funding and community expertise needed in the co-ordination of the group.