Co-op Made in the USA

"In the age of unemployment, downsizing, and
outsourcing, where can a poor soul find a job?
Well, maybe it’s time we create our own. Selfemployment
is an option and can seem freeing, but
it’s hard to do everything yourself and find time for a
non-work life. The worker coop is an alternative to
the isolation of self-employment and the exploitation
of traditional jobs." (Mira Luna)
... I have a PhD in anthropology, so I love to see
people behavior. The first ten minutes I was in a cab I
asked myself "what I have been doing wasting my life
not driving a cab?"... I can expect to make between
18$ and 26$ an hour... we are the most successful
cab company in Madison, and this is in part due to the
fact that we don't have to pay the CEO a six figure
salary... I think our name, Union Cab, is beautifully
evocative of how we are as a company,... we have
republicans, we have democrats, we have socialists,
we have anarchists,well, I don't think we have any
communist...
Rebecca Kemble, PhD, taxi driver, Madison Union
Cab.
How does the business management end of
things get done? (Who pays the bills?)
Each collective will approach this in their own
way. In our case, in addition to our usual daily work,
each of us takes on administrative tasks on the basis
of skill or inclination. At one time, each
administrative task could be performed by a single
individual. These days, most require the work of a
committee. We break down the administrative areas
as follows: Accounts payable, accounts receivable,
financial, supply ordering, paper ordering,
marketing/promotion, donations, accounts
development, payroll/vacation, sales tax, benefits
administration, machine maintenance & repair, new
equipment & services research, health & safety,
aesthetics and physical plant. At certain times of the
year we add copyright clearance.