Re: HOMESTEAD: Myth of Employee Ownership

[LynnRWilliams@aol.com]

I would like to agree with John Medaille's observation that an employee owned operation requires a change in values, which I would describe in terms of democratic governance practices at every level of the operation. 

I don't agree with the implication (that may not have been intended, I may be over-reacting, if so please excuse) that this can't be accomplished in a union setting.  It's correct that it certainly wasn't accomplished at United Airlines.  There wasn't an adequate vision there, there wasn't sufficient involvement or agreement with the whole idea, and truth to tell, no one is managing a major airline successfully at the moment, at least no one comes to mind. The only successful airlines in the U.S. or Canada are little ones that work for less.  This WalMart idea of working for less isn't a great foundation for the American Dream or any of its lesser versions.

There are, however, a number of employee owned union represented operations that are doing quite well.  I was hearing about one the other day, Market Forge in Boston, that frankly I thought was long gone.  We had management experts there who insisted that they needed a new plant, far away from where the workers lived, the workers stubbornly resisted, the end was supposed to be near, I hear now they are still in the old plant, still can get to work in a reasonable fashion, and the enterprise is succeeding.

I am not familiar with the systems known as Value Based Mangement or 21st Century Economics, but if they are somewhat similar to Open Book Management I would expect they are not entirely incompatible with a truly democratically governed employee owned entereprise with union represented worker-owners.

Lynn Williams