All corporations and cooperatives have some sort of democratic model for decision making. There are two major voting structures for all businesses. The first: “one share, one vote;” means that an investor gets one vote for each share of a company they own. The second: “one member, one vote;” means that each cooperative member or …
Governance and Shared Ownership
Use of the term “Cooperative”
Edited June 26th, 2020: An earlier version of this blog post implied that only organizations incorporated as cooperatives under Massachusetts law may use the word “cooperative.” This post has been edited to accurately reflect that other businesses may use the term if they distribute earnings consistent with cooperative law. Entity formation is often the first …
COVID-19: Collectivism in the Face of Crisis
I won’t soon forget the events of the past week. I watched the world around me completely change in the span of four days as the novel corona virus took hold in the U.S. We are now on track to follow the same path as Italy and it’s hard to grasp and process how much …
Cuba and Cooperatives (Part 3): Social, Economic, Racial, Gender and Sexual Justice Through Constitutional Reform
Information derives from a lecture by Cuban Criminal Justice and Cooperative Attorney Oldalys Perex Martinez, on January 15, 2020 We’re mainly taught in the U.S. that Cuba is “ruled” by a militaristic, one-party, authoritarian regime (e.g. links intentionally omitted). The on-the-ground perspective in Cuba is quite different; so too are the facts. Cuba’s people democratically …
Cuba and Cooperatives (Part 2): Cooperatives in Cuba, a Love Story (of sorts)
Much of the primary information comes from a lecture by Dr. Jesus Cruz Reyes, on January 13, 2020 in Havana, Cuba. Dr. Cruz Reyes is Cuba’s foremost cooperative economist and is on the faculty of economics at the University of Havana. The Cuban “State Enterprise” is undoubtedly the single largest economic consumer and producer in …
Cuba and Cooperatives (Series): Opening Invitation
Cuba is a study of contrast and contradiction. How does a 950-mile long island of 10M people, situated only 90 miles from the U.S., sustain its people, culture and autonomy while living under the proverbial boot of the most powerful country on earth? And, while promoting a deeply connected civil society that puts racial, sex, …
Gallun Snow becomes employee owned with assistance from RMEOC and attorneys Linda Phillips and Tonya Price
Member Spotlight: Gallun Snow Interior Design Gallun Snow Becomes Employee Owned! Gallun Snow Interior Design became employee owned on October 1st. The company began in 1988 and is now a nationally recognized Healthcare Interior Design firm. They have an amazing team and are excited to be able to maintain what they have built over the …
Employee-Owned Firms Should be Eligible for Minority Certification by Tonya Price and Lydia Edwards
Our associate, Tonya Price and of Counsel, Lydia Edwards recently wrote Employee-Owned Firms Should be Eligible for Minority Certification for Fifty by Fifty in which they propose solutions for businesses with fears of losing their minority-owned business certification.
Happy National Cooperative Month from the Jason Wiener | p.c. team
Worker Co-op Owners: Where to Report 1099-PATR Income on Your Form 1040 by Bruce Mayer
Our friends over at Wegner CPAs posted this blog on reporting 1099-PATR income on your individual tax return. We know that for our cooperative clients navigating tax season can be confusing and employee-owners may have questions about what to do with their 1099-PATRs. Bruce Mayer provides a concise and easy to understand assessment of individual …