Trebor Scholz, a prominent researcher and the founding director of The New School’s Platform Cooperativism Consortium, dives into the innovative world of platform cooperatives. He discusses the historical context of worker-owned companies and highlights global initiatives championing democratic and sustainable practices. Trebor shares inspiring examples like the Drivers Cooperative in NYC, showcasing how these platforms empower workers against market hardships. He also explores the fusion of community organizing with academic research, setting the stage for future cooperative advocacy.
Trebor Scholz emphasizes the importance of platform cooperatives in empowering workers with democratic control and economic participation to combat exploitation.
The success of the Drivers Cooperative in New York City exemplifies how worker solidarity can challenge unfair pay practices and promote equitable labor conditions.
Deep dives
Origins and Motivation for Platform Cooperatives
Trevor Schultz reflects on his journey into platform research, beginning with his early experiences on platforms like MySpace and their inherent labor characteristics. He describes an encounter at a conference that spurred his interest in addressing the exploitation of workers on platforms such as Amazon Mechanical Turk, where workers often receive inadequate pay. This awakening motivated him to explore how cooperative principles could offer an alternative to current exploitative models in the platform economy. Schultz emphasizes the need for a shift towards platform cooperatives, where workers have more agency and decision-making power.
Principles and Structure of Platform Cooperatives
Schultz sets forth the core principles that define platform cooperatives, including voluntary membership, democratic control, and economic participation among members. By applying these principles to digital platforms, he suggests that cooperatives can effectively challenge the existing power imbalances within the gig economy. This model emphasizes education, member autonomy, and community concern, thus fostering a more equitable approach to platform work. He differentiates platform cooperatives from traditional cooperatives by highlighting their reliance on digital infrastructure, such as apps and protocols, to deliver services.
Case Study: The Drivers Cooperative
The Drivers Cooperative, established in New York City, serves as a prime example of a successful platform cooperative in action. This cooperative emerged in response to the exploitative practices of ride-sharing companies, uniting nearly 12,000 drivers under a fair pay structure and a $30 minimum wage. They also prioritize worker education and support, showcasing a model where drivers have a voice in their work environment. Their successful collaboration with municipal authorities underscores the importance of legislative support for the growth and sustainability of platform cooperatives.
Challenges and Opportunities in Scaling Cooperatives
As platform cooperatives grow, they face the challenge of maintaining their cooperative values and embracing effective organizational structures. Schultz notes that hiring management accountable to workers can help maintain democratic practices as cooperatives expand. He highlights the need for cooperative members to balance their governance with a focus on business success to ensure sustainability. Various case studies from around the world illustrate successful models of federating smaller cooperatives, where shared infrastructure facilitates scalability while preserving the cooperative ethos.
Reaching back through the history of worker-owned companies to the front lines of a new economy unfolding around the world
Trebor's bio: R. Trebor Scholz is a researcher, author, and advocate for fair and sustainable digital labor practices. He is a professor and the founding director of The New School’s Platform Cooperativism Consortium (PCC) in New York City, where he also operates a research institute with a fellowship program.
Trebor has worked to develop and promote a set of models for building worker-owned and democratically-controlled online platforms, known as “platform cooperatives.” He is the author of several books on the subject of platform labor, including Own This! How Platform Cooperatives Change the World, forthcoming with Verso in 2023, and Uber-Worked And Underpaid: How Workers are Disrupting the Digital Economy, which introduced the concept of platform cooperatives.
In addition to his work at the PCC, Trebor has been a fellow at the Open Society Foundations, the Berggruen Institute, and Mondragon University, and is a Faculty Affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. He keynotes events around the world on topics related to economic justice, platform work, and the cooperative digital economy, and his ideas have been featured in major media outlets such as Le Monde, The Washington Post, The Financial Times, and The New York Times.