Labor Day, 2005: Breaking Through--Creating the Foundation for Economic Democracy

My professional life is the Center for Labor and Community Research (CLCR). This is my "soft-ware company" that has been in a 20+ development phase--working on a product that nobody asked for. Now we have our "product" and it seems to have appeal and potential. If that is the case, can we manage the competition in the market and survive growth? But at least true to our strategic perspective, we are contending.

CLCR has been a catalyst for some new initiatives in Illinois and Chicago that represent a breakthrough of a new model for community and economic development as well as a foundation for a potentially powerful social partnership of labor, business, government, and community. Civic, governmental, business, and labor leadership are leading the Race to the Top in contrast to watching our communities be destroyed by the powerful economic forces taking us on the Race to the Bottom.

• In the last month, the top business, labor, governmental, and educational leaders in Chicago, at a meeting in City Hall, launched the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance (CMR)—a long-term initiative for Chicago to become the world leader in modern, high value-added manufacturing. They began the CMR Council and steps are now underway to give life and depth to this campaign. CLCR’s vision of a High Road/High Performance manufacturing economy is the foundation for this initiative. As Chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, Wayne Watson commented, “We have to have an educational and economic infrastructure that is superior to Germany, Denmark, and India, and not be satisfied with out-competing Indiana;”

• Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools, Arne Duncan, in joining the CMR challenged us to create a public high school that reflects the ambitions and partnership of the CMR. CLCR led a team that submitted an application to create the Austin Polytechnical Academy—a high school academy in an African American West Side Chicago community that has been devastated by deindustrialization. This “small school” of 400-500 students will have a direct relationship with high performance manufacturing companies in the region and be able to provide work exposure, internships, apprenticeships, and access to careers in all aspects of manufacturing;

• The Department of Planning and Development is exploring a partnership with Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago’s South Side—a church with 15,000 members in the African American community and with a well-known prophetic pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright—to create an Early Warning Business Development System based on CLCR’s model. This is the new kind of partnership required by the vision of CMR; and

• This Chicago initiative is a product of the state-wide partnership between the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association representing 4,300 manufacturing companies and the Illinois AFL-CIO representing 1 million union members and CLCR that has been developing a state-wide campaign over the last 9 months that seeks to make Illinois the destination place for global high performance manufacturing.

Our approach—developed in the course of our 20+ year history in the trenches of the economy and working with specific firms and communities—is premised on ending poverty through promoting sustainable economic growth based on a High Road stakeholder vision. This is in contrast to the Low Road demand for the highest return in the shortest possible time for shareholders no matter what the social impact. Defining and creating a High Road social partnership of labor, business, government, and community around this approach is central to CLCR's mission and experience. We have been a leader in:
1. Showing the causal relationship between the growth of poverty and the de-industrialization, particularly, of urban areas;
2. Proving that the decline of industry is not inevitable and out of the control of local communities. There is a way within reach that can dramatically reduce poverty on a significant scale through making good work and jobs available particularly in inner-city communities
3. Advancing policy and program that retains and develops the manufacturing economy in ways that are both competitive in the market as well as consistent with our social and moral values; and
4. Winning over the major institutions in Chicago and some of the key powerful state organizations from business, government, labor, and community to embrace and apply our approach.

This framework becomes a “barn door” for a social movement with vision and the desire to influence the way our society and its economy operates. This approach is clearly replicable in other communities.

In the next couple of days, you can find detailed descriptions of these initiatives at www.clcr.org

The End of the Season and the Beginning of the Next

I’ve never worked harder athletically nor had more ambitious goals—athletically—than this year. Since January, I’ve trained to win my age group in the Chicago Triathlon—a race on August 28 that now has 7,600 participants, and probably 60 or so in my age-group. And my goal is reasonable considering that in the last couple of years I placed 7^th then 5^th in my age group. This year, I’ve had 3 firsts, and one fourth (I’ll explain) in my races. So with pretty consistent disciplin, I’ve run with a mix of tempo, interval, and long distance. I’ve been swimming in pools and in the lake. And I’ve been on my bike with some easy short rides as well as in groups that successfully challenged me to extend my distance to 80+ miles and pick up the pace. And then there’s the gym and a demanding trainer with a totally positive attitude that has really set the standard for all of this a couple of times a week.

It has all become the framework from which I look at everything else in my life—personally, professionally, and politically. Finally, it’s all about the core. And this isn’t the abs….its the attitude and determination.

Personally, the challenge is lurking wistfulness. Professionally, I’ve essentially created what could best be understood as a “software” company and been in a twenty-five year development stage—working on a product nobody understands or is asking for, but confident that what I'm creating has wide use and appeal once perfected and popularly understood. And now as I take my product to market, I face the challenge of competition from the mundane, as well as the challenge of growth—the business equivalent of adolescence. And politically, the professional description is apt.

I’ve never worked so hard in all the aspects of life. The easiest to understand and describe was a race three weeks ago-- the Racine, Wisconsin Half-Ironman. This was double my longest tri—1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run on a day when the temperature reached 105 and there were 30 mile per hour wind gusts. I took off my number three times trying to quit the race, but finally realized it was one mile at a time and I would make it, and that was worth it. And 1,000 others that day did the same thing. I ate and drank everything on the course, walked, and thanked all of the volunteers that hosed down the racers with their garden hoses. It really does take a village. And I enjoyed it all and like everyone else--described it as "brutal." After 7 hours, it was over and I went home to rest for a week.

But the persistence still seems worthwhile and better than the other options. Success in overcoming the big challenges in all the aspects of life seems possible. The end result seems well worth the work. And why not…

August 28 will simply be a measure of effort made, who shows up, and an affirmation that the journey is the most important and fulfilling no matter what the result.

Solidarity/Social Economy Networks

August 2, 2005

I wanted to introduce you to two networks that I have been active in over the last three years, and seek your assistance in introducing them to the broader activist community in the US.

Like most of the things we do, these networks are in the process of becoming…but I think they have promise and already constitute an interesting and constructive venue for building the movement around an alternative vision of development and plan of action that can compete with the neo-liberal global strategy.

RIPESS (www.ripess.net) is the French acronym for the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Solidarity/Social Economy. It grew out of a joint effort of community development leaders and academicians from Montreal and the same from South America. In 1997, they organized a conference on the Solidarity/Social Economy in Lima, Peru, expecting your typical 40-50 people. Over 200 people from 21 countries showed up and RIPESS was born. Due to the enthusiasm for North and South solidarity around a development vision, they committed to building their network. They had a follow-up congress in Quebec City in 2001 with almost double the participants and countries represented. At that Congress, leadership for RIPESS was elected and the central office was established in Dakar, Senegal. They have been active in the World Social Forums at Porto Alegre and Mumbai.

I was recruited to be on the International Liaison Committee and have attended meetings in both Montreal and Dakar. This network is serious about building the international movement around the social economy. Their members have strong ties in local universities; in the community development field as well as in the networks that serve the informal economy in their countries. They are eager to have increased contact and exchange with their American colleagues.

They are now actively recruiting for their Congress in Dakar. The Congress will be a rich experience of exchange between organizations as well as a fascinating introduction to West Africa and Senegal. I've included the description of the Congress and the Call for Workshops. I think you and your organization would find the experience incredibly rewarding.

I'm going and taking my family. My first experience in Dakar was incredible both because of the interesting character of the country but, more importantly, because of the excellent access our hosts-the current leadership of RIPESS-had with grass root organizations, the business community, NGOs, and government officials. We saw a number of very interesting projects during our visit and created lasting relationships with those who share our commitment for a global solidarity economy.

Out of this broader network, a Canadian/US group was formed last year at the national Community Economic Development conference in Trois Riviere, Quebec. This is the North American Network on the Solidarity Economy (NANSE). It is committed to increasing the strategic dialogue and joint action between leaders in community economic development and the social economy in our two countries. For example, CLCR's program, Food Chicago now has a sister project in Vancouver with the Specialty Food Producers Cooperative and we have had two productive meetings and regular exchanges. The national journal of the Canadian CED movement, Making Waves, dedicates four pages each issue to news and ideas that are evolving from this network. It is also dedicated to organizing participation in the Dakar conference.

Here's a link. www.cedworks.com/international.html

If you go to this link, scroll to the bottom of the page and there's a link to the current issue of Making Waves and an article I wrote to stimulate discussion.

I would encourage you to look into these networks, to consider becoming involved and supportive, and to pass on the information about them to your various networks whose interests overlap with these, and who could contribute to as well as benefit from increased contact with those in the South and North working on the alternative model.

I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have. I am also very interested in getting the word out-so any way you could help me would be deeply appreciated.


Dan Swinney
Center for Labor and Community Research
www.clcr.org
dswinney@clcr.org
773 278 5418, ext. 13