El Chisme is a local food truck that has converted into a worker cooperative. To celebrate, they are having a launch party on Wednesday, October 25th, from 3pm-6pm at the Madison Labor Temple (1602 South Park Street). This event is also a fundraiser for their new truck.
El Chisme’s cooperative conversion has been supported by Worker Justice Wisconsin’s cooperative incubation program.
Worker Justice Wisconsin is one of MCDC’s community partners, and has received funding for several years to support education about worker cooperatives to the workers who come to their center, as well as to incubate new cooperatives. Worker Justice Wisconsin bridges the gap of faith and labor, with the goal of supporting workers in creating an organized and empowered working class. They primarily serve non-union, Spanish-speaking immigrant Latine workers, and support workers on issues around wage theft, discrimination, and safety. Their worker cooperative incubation program focuses on four industries that they have identified as problematic for workers: construction, cleaning, landscaping, and food service.
And don’t forget that MCDC has several upcoming free educational sessions about cooperatives, starting on October 24th. Visit http://madpl.org/coop for details and to sign up.