Hold Co-Ops Like REI Accountable To All Members!

As a constituent, I am asking you to support Senator Valdez and Representative Ryu’s bills to hold large consumer co-ops, like REI, accountable to all of their member-owners. 

Corporations that are supposedly owned by members should live up to the ideals of democracy and participation and should be required to have employee representation on their Board of Directors.

Current law allows co-ops to market themselves as member-owned democracies. Unfortunately, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), which is headquartered in Washington state, is not currently living up to the democratic ideals that are integral to a cooperative. 

Similar cooperative associations governed under the same statutes, like Puget Consumers Co-Op (PCC), do live up to the cooperative ideal. PCC empowers up to two staff members to serve on the board of trustees and currently have 2 workers on the board. 

Giving workers a seat at the table like this ensures that co-ops live up to the values they market to the public.  

The Valdez/Ryu bill ensures corporate responsibility for cooperative associations and consumer cooperatives by protecting the right of workers to participate in the management of the co-ops by which they are employed. 

I hope you will support this bill. 

Get Out and Vote!
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