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Catalyzing worker co-ops & the solidarity economy

Updates on the Durham Co-op Controversy

Under scrutiny, Durham Co-op withdrawing referendum on worker shares, governance

Faced with a public backlash over a change to the Durham Co-op Market articles of incorporation, the stores'  board of directors won't hold a vote on worker governance as planned. The vote, which is open to all co-op members, has been going on for nearly two weeks; it was scheduled to end tomorrow.

 

Workers didn't know they were to lose governance rights, and other revelations from the Durham co-op meeting

Durham co-op workers were blindsided by the news that they would lose their shares and seats on the board if a referendum passed stripping them of those rights. In fact, some of them didn't know until last Friday that such a vote was pending. The referendum was canceled after public outcry over the lack of transparency on the measure.

These and other bombshells were dropped at Sunday's annual Durham co-op meeting.  Davis Hodge, grocery manager and three employees told the crowd of more than 100 that, “The entire staff definitely felt blindsided by this referendum.” Employees came to work at DCM with promise of ownership. “We felt like that was something that was owed us, and something that was going to be taken from us unjustly. This feels so ridiculous to me.”

 

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