about MONDRAGON Corporation

"Because Mondragon’s workers have a voice in guiding the company’s policies, jobs have been protected..."

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:01:02 -0400

“

Because Mondragon’s workers have a voice in guiding the company’s policies, jobs have been protected throughout recent budget cuts. Cooperatives within the corporation that are still turning a profit loan money to assist fellow Mondragon cooperatives that are in the red. And while workers are taking pay cuts—just like workers at non-Mondragon companies—the managers are taking the steepest cuts of all (by the way, managerial salaries were already capped at eight times the lowest salary). Another job-saving measure: companies with an excess of workers are shifting those workers to other Mondragon co-ops who could use the extra help.

While Mondragon is feeling the hard times like everyone else, it is still turning a profit and its workforce is holding steady—especially compared to the rest of Spain, which is experiencing 26% unemployment. There’s no doubt that the cooperative system—with workers vocal participants in the direction of the company—has something to do with its current success

”

- the Corvallis Advocate

"At a time of recession, when companies all over the world are struggling to fight global financial..."

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:01:20 -0400

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At a time of recession, when companies all over the world are struggling to fight global financial crisis, Basque Country’s Arrasate-Mondragón cooperatives led once more the way showing an alternative to the cutthroat and individualistic model that has arguably brought many economies to their knees.

In a general assembly held on Monday evening, workers at the worker-owned co-operative Mondragón Corporation approved unanimously to create a restructuring and employment fund that will guarantee the financial sustainability and employment of Fagor Electrodomesticos, a large domestic and commercial appliance manufacturer run by the Basque cooperative.

By taking this decision, the members of the cooperative maintain the tradition of solidarity and cooperation that has made the Basque group renowned all over the world thanks to its alternative business model and that has proved effective to face economic crisis such as the current one.

”

- EiTB

"There are now some 102 cooperatives that have grown out of Mondragón, employing over 100,000 people...."

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:01:08 -0400

“There are now some 102 cooperatives that have grown out of Mondragón, employing over 100,000 people. Combined annual revenues are in the six-billion-euro range, making them, together, the seventh largest business in Spain. Each of the cooperatives is required to donate 10% of yearly profits to education and social-good projects, which ensures a steady stream of philanthropic funds to Basque cultural institutions.”

- Resilience

"Mondragon has perfected E.F. Schumacher’s Principle of Subsidiarity, striking the appropriate..."

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:00:57 -0400

“Mondragon has perfected E.F. Schumacher’s Principle of Subsidiarity, striking the appropriate balance between order and autonomy. In a large bureaucracy, efficiencies are shaded and dispersed – not under this model. Each of the over 285 subunits keep their own balance sheets. Mondragon offers budding entrepreneurs training and funding, helping hundreds of new companies form.”

- ZCommunications

"Here in the U.S., where a long decline in manufacturing and a brutal economic crisis have led to..."

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:47 -0400

“Here in the U.S., where a long decline in manufacturing and a brutal economic crisis have led to millions of Americans being thrown out of work, many are looking to Mondragon as a model and starting worker cooperatives, from bakeries to solar energy to manufacturing and engineering”

- Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal

"Even such bastions of capitalist thought as the Financial Times and CBS News have had nice things to..."

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:00:59 -0400

“Even such bastions of capitalist thought as the Financial Times and CBS News have had nice things to say about Mondragon and its model. The worst things that were ever said about Mondragon have come from Noam Chomsky, who in an interview with Laura Flanders criticized it for not going far enough and still is compelled to exploit many of its workers in its subsidary parts. However, Mondragon has since the General Assembly of 2008 been working to convert the subsidiary groups into cooperatives, where the workers both own and run them.”

- Firedoglake

"Mikel Lezamiz, Mondragon’s Co-operative Development Manager, explained why Mondragon’s..."

Tue, 07 May 2013 10:01:08 -0400

“

Mikel Lezamiz, Mondragon’s Co-operative Development Manager, explained why Mondragon’s policies have been successful: “We are passing cash within co-ops in order to solve the lack of liquidity. We are also buying together. Inter-co-operation is the most important feature of Mondragon.”

Mondragon has also passed workers from some co-ops to others in order to avoid making staff redundant. Since workers or employees are directly involved in the decision making, it is less likely for them to cut jobs.

”

- Co-operative News

"Even though only 1% of the cooperatives in the United States are worker owned, their organizing..."

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:00:57 -0400

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Even though only 1% of the cooperatives in the United States are worker owned, their organizing success has recently made them a focal point in the struggle for economic justice. […]These organizations are inspired by successful historical examples, like the Mondragon system in Spain, […] which provides a model for economic transition and sustainability.

Today’s coops are also guided by an earnest, evidenced solidarity—in other words, they put their money where their mouth is—which provides support for members and fellow organizations alike.

”

- Truth-out

"One of Mondragon’s earliest moves was to create a credit union, Caja Laboral. The Ikerlan research..."

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:01:17 -0400

“One of Mondragon’s earliest moves was to create a credit union, Caja Laboral. The Ikerlan research center was created in 1974. The University of Mondragon was established in 1997. All of these institutions work symbiotically and under worker management to further the goals of the corporation.”

- Firedoglake

"Finally, there is much to learn from models abroad […] Mondragon, has demonstrated how an..."

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:01:04 -0400

“Finally, there is much to learn from models abroad […] Mondragon, has demonstrated how an integrated system of more than 100 cooperatives can function effectively (and in areas of high technical requirement) - and at the same time maintain an extremely egalitarian and participatory culture of institution control.”

- Truth-out

"Collective approach pays big dividends,” read a headlineheadline about Mondragon in The Financial..."

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:00:48 -0400

““Collective approach pays big dividends,” read a headlineheadline about Mondragon in The Financial Times last year. The New York Times noted the “use of workers’ share capital and loans” has enabled the federation to remain stable through vacillations in global markets, including the ongoing financial crisis.”

- Green Left

"La troisième raison se base sur les bénéfices économiques qu’apporte la liberté d’expression en..."

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:00:47 -0400

“La troisième raison se base sur les bénéfices économiques qu’apporte la liberté d’expression en entreprise (Simon 2011). On l’observe dans plusieurs coopératives d’employés comme Mondragon en Espagne : la participation active des travailleurs dans les décisions favorise l’efficacité et la stabilité des entreprises. C’est d’abord un moyen d’identifier et de régler plus efficacement les problèmes de gestion, d’organisation ou de sécurité au travail.”

- lalibre.be

"[MONDRAGON] operates in four areas: finance, industry, retail and knowledge. Co-operatives are owned..."

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:00:53 -0400

“

[MONDRAGON] operates in four areas: finance, industry, retail and knowledge. Co-operatives are owned by their worker-members and power is based on the principle of one person, one vote.

A portion of each member enterprise’s net revenue goes to a fund for research and development, which finances new product development. R&D employs 800 people with a budget of more than $75 million. The company’s first product in 1956 was paraffin heaters. In 2010, 21.4 per cent of sales comprised new products and services that did not exist five years earlier.

”

- Business Review Weekly

"This summer, I experienced Mondragon first-hand when I visited with members of the MIT CoLab. During..."

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:01:23 -0400

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This summer, I experienced Mondragon first-hand when I visited with members of the MIT CoLab. During that time, our dialogue centered on a commitment to human dignity that is all but absent in most of corporate America today. While we have become immune to headlines that announce 5, 10, 20 or even 30,000 employees who are scheduled to be terminated, Mondragon, a $20 billion enterprise, agonizes over the loss of a single job.

Recently, Mondragon’s General Assembly, it’s largest body, voted to reduce wages across the board for all workers rather than put the jobs of workers at one of over a hundred businesses at risk. Of equal note is the fact that the senior management of the enterprise makes no more than seven times the lowest paid worker.

As we explored the unique attributes of Mondragon, its culture and education were central and recurring themes. The integrity of the whole cannot be guarded by a small group of individuals, but only through the commitment and ongoing education of the whole community.

”

- Cooperatives Futures

"Mondragon cooperatives operate in accordance with 10 basic principles including the Supremacy of..."

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:01:02 -0400

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Mondragon cooperatives operate in accordance with 10 basic principles including the Supremacy of Labour, the Instrumental and Subordinate Nature of Capital, Participatory Management, Payment Solidarity (meaning the highest income is never more than nine times the lowest wage), and Education.

The Mondragon cooperatives are a testament to the importance of rights and positive incentives at the workplace. They prove that democracy at work is viable and sustainable.

”

- TimesOfMalta.com

VIDEO: Understanding the Mondragon Worker Cooperative...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:01:07 -0400

VIDEO: Understanding the Mondragon Worker Cooperative Corporation in Spain’s Basque Country

"The “union co-op” model imports some of Mondragon’s structural innovations to the American economy:..."

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:00:45 -0400

“The “union co-op” model imports some of Mondragon’s structural innovations to the American economy: most importantly, it gives workers a say in the direction of the business as well as in their own pay and working conditions. It remains to be seen exactly how workers’ voices will be heard through the union co-ops’ collective bargaining processes, but it will likely have some of the flavor of worker empowerment already in effect at Mondragon.”

- local-control @ posterous.com

"Perhaps the most innovative and inspiring development by unions in 21st century U.S. is the..."

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:00:52 -0400

“Perhaps the most innovative and inspiring development by unions in 21st century U.S. is the partnership between the Mondragon Cooperative Corporation and the United Steel Workers union. The intent of the partnership is to expand what they call “union coops” around the country. This is a model and a strategy leveraging successful worker ownership strategies through Employee Shared Ownership Plans (ESOP), to transfer full ownership of companies to workers through worker cooperative structures, while having a union committee that ensures safe working conditions and builds the national power of worker self-determination on a grander scale.”

- symcenter.org

"Mondragon Corporation is a Basque Cooperative which has enjoyed huge success with its model,..."

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:00:40 -0400

““Mondragon Corporation is a Basque Cooperative which has enjoyed huge success with its model, becoming one of Spain’s 10 largest companies by sales, with worker-owned businesses that include the Eroski supermarket chain. The Chief Executive earns no more than eight times that of the lowest-paid workers within the co-operative. Its collective model makes it unique, but, like many other Spanish companies, Mondragon has steadily diversified its sales away from Europe. Last year 3.59bn of the 5.71bn total sales in its industry division were international””

- Financial Times

"Mondragon employs 83,000 workers in 256 companies. About half of those companies are cooperatives,..."

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:00:52 -0400

“Mondragon employs 83,000 workers in 256 companies. About half of those companies are cooperatives, and about a third of Mondragon’s employees are co-op members with an ownership stake in their workplace. Mondragon companies do everything from manufacturing industrial machine parts to making pressure cookers and home appliances to running a bank and a chain of supermarkets. With billions of euros in annual sales, Mondragon is the largest industrial conglomerate in the Basque region and the fifth-largest in Spain.”

- yesmagazine.org