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Josh --
Are you interested only in conversions
of failing businesses? I know of a few cases of conversions of healthy
businesses into cooperatives...
I'd also be happy to talk with you
about the founding of Island Pond Woodworkers. It is a new business, not a
conversion, but it was initiated by a group of workers who had been laid off by
Ethan Allen Furniture when a factory was closed.
Don Jamison
Co-Director
Vermont Employee Ownership
Center
802-861-6611
My name is Josh Olson. I am currently serving as an
intern with Mark Levin at the Cooperative Branch of the International Labor
Organization. I have been given the assignment to do research and
write a short paper on the use of cooperative buyouts as a mechanism for job
retention for workers in investor-owned or privately held
companies.
I am looking for case studies of worker cooperatives that have
been created as the result of worker purchases of failing non-cooperative
enterprises. For the purposes of my paper, I am
interested both in both sucessful and unsucessful attempts at such
conversions. ( I realize that there will be more information regarding
successful cooperatives of this nature, but information on both successes
and failures will be beneficial to my research.)
Any information, regarding studies that have been published on this
subject, details regarding particular cases of such conversions, or even the
existence of such cases (hopefully accompanied by some contact information)
would be most useful.
Many thanks, in advance.
Sincerely,
-Josh Olson
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