October 24, 2016

Do you think it would be amazing if the City of Philadelphia invested real money in growing our region's cooperative economy?

On October 24, PACA and a broad coalition of supporters attended a long-awaited hearing on how the City of Philadelphia can support the growth of cooperative businesses. Click on the photo below to see lots more photos from the hearing, and read and watch testimony from cooperators and allies!

Written testimony

Philadelphia is not the only city considering supporting co-ops

New York City secured more than $2 million and they tripled the number of worker co-ops.

Madison, Wisconsin passed legislation that secured $5 million dollars for cooperative development.

The Black Lives Matter platform calls for support and funding for worker co-ops.

POWER's 12-point platform to end poverty calls for the development of worker co-ops.

In a city where 1 in 4 residents live in poverty, the power of the cooperative model as a strategy to address inequality and build community wealth gained traction among councilmembers. Councilman Derek Green championed the resolution, with support from Councilwoman Cindy Bass, Councilwoman Helen Gym, and Councilman Mark Squilla.

Video testimony

How could Philadelphia benefit from more cooperative businesses?

Find out in our policy paper.

Contact
For more information, please contact Michaela Holmes at michaela@philadelphia.coop.