When workers own companies, the economy is more resilient | Niki Okuk

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 易帆 余

Are you tired of your boss?

你對你的老闆厭倦了嗎？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Are you tired of going to work

你對於去上班，

and making money for other people?

並為其他人賺錢感到厭倦了嗎？

And who are those people anyways?

那些人到底是誰？

Those people that make money from your work.

從你的工作賺錢的那些人。

Well, they're capitalists.

他們是資本家。

They have capital,

他們有資本，

and they use your labor to make more capital.

他們用你的勞力來賺更多的資本。

So if you're tired of going to work

所以如果你厭倦了上班

and making money for other people,

並為其他人賺錢，

then you're probably like me --

那麼你可能就跟我很像

just tired of capitalism.

就是厭倦了資本家。

Which is ironic, because I'm a capitalist.

這很諷刺，因為我本身就是資本家。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I own a small business --

我擁有一間小型企業

Rco Tires in Compton.

位於康普頓的 Rco Tires（輪胎行）。

A few years ago, when I read Van Jones,

幾年前，當我在閱讀 范瓊斯的作品時，

and he wrote, "Let's make green collar jobs in the hood,"

他寫到：「讓我們在鄰里間 創造綠領工作。」

I took him really seriously.

我很認真看待他說的話。

So I cofounded, own and operate a tire recycling company,

所以我與人合夥，擁有並 經營一間輪胎回收公司，

and I'm really proud of what we've done.

我對於我們所做的，感到十分驕傲。

So far, we've recycled a hundred million pounds of rubber.

目前為止，我們已經 回收了一億磅的橡膠。

That's 21 million gallons of oil diverted from landfills

等同是將 2100 萬加侖的石油 從垃圾掩埋場轉移出來，

into new products.

做成新產品。

(Cheers)

（歡呼）

We also employ about 15 guys --

我們也僱用了約十五個人…

mostly people of color,

大部份是有色人種，

most of whom are felons,

他們大部份是重罪犯，

and we pay above the minimum wage,

我們給他們的薪資高於最低薪資，

and we are now proud members of the United Steelworkers Union.

而且我們現在自豪 是鋼鐵工人聯合會的成員。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Now, Rco is not a cooperative now.

Rco 不是一間合作社。

It's a privately held company with community-minded ownership,

它是間私人控股公司， 其擁有者有著社區思維，

but I would like it to become one.

但我想要變成一間合作社。

I would like for them to fire the boss --

我希望他們能開除老闆

that's me.

也就是我。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And I'm going to tell you why,

我等等會告訴你們為什麼，

but first, let me tell you how we got started.

但先讓我先談談我們是如何開始的。

So a lot of people ask,

很多人問：

"How did Rco come to be?"

「Rco 是怎麼誕生的？」

And I have to be really honest.

我要很老實說，

I leveraged my white privilege.

我善用了我的白人特權。

So, here's how white privilege worked for me and Rco.

以下是白人特權如何幫助我與 Rco。

My white grandmother was born on her family's plantation

我的白人奶奶在 她家族的大農園出生，

in Arkansas in 1918.

地點在阿肯色州，時間是 1918 年。

She traveled with her white father west,

她與她的白人父親向西行，

following the oil boom.

追隨石油開發的熱潮。

And he held various union oil jobs --

他做過各種石油公會的相關工作，

jobs which would have never been given to my black great-grandfather,

這些工作是我黑人曾祖父 永遠不可能得到的工作，

had he lived here at the time.

如果他那時還在世的話。

Granny became a hairdresser

奶奶成了理髮師，

and then got a loan with her husband

接著與爺爺取得了貸款，

who built their home in West Los Angeles --

在西洛杉磯建造了他們的家。

a loan which would never have been given to a black family at the time.

當時黑人家庭是不可能取得貸款的。

And after my grandfather passed away,

在我爺爺過世後，

my granny was able to keep that house

我奶奶得以留住那間房子，

because she had his pension and his health care

因為她有他的退休金 和他的健康照護，

from a state job which he held,

這些是來自於他在州政府的工作，

which again, would have never been given to a black man

同樣的，在 60 年代 反歧視法案之前，

before the anti-discrimination act of the 1960s.

黑人也是不可能得到這種工作的。

So, you fast-forward 30 years,

所以，快轉三十年後，

and I graduate,

我畢業了，

and I want to start my own business

我想開創自己的事業，

with a pile of debt and a credit card,

但卻背著一堆負債和一張信用卡，

and no experience in the tire industry.

完全沒有輪胎產業的經驗。

But I had what most people didn't have.

但我擁有的，大部份人都沒有。

I had a clean, safe, free place to live.

我有一個乾淨、安全、 免費的地方可以住。

I moved in with my grandmother,

我搬去和奶奶住，

and I was able to rent our first warehouse,

我想辦法租了我們的第一間倉庫，

buy our first truck,

買了第一台卡車，

pay our first employees,

支薪給我們的第一批員工，

because I didn't have to worry about paying myself,

因為我不用擔心支薪給我自己，

because I didn't need to feed myself,

因為我不需要養我自己，

because I am the direct beneficiary of generations of white privilege.

因為我是世世代代 白人特權的直接受益人。

Now, telling the story of white privilege is important

明白白人特權的故事很重要，

because very often people say,

因為人們常會說：

"Oh, we want more companies like yours.

「我們想要更多像你這樣的公司。

We want more Rco's,

我們想要更多 Rco，

we want more black-owned businesses,

我們想要更多企業是由黑人所擁有、

female-led, triple bottom line,

女性來領導、三重底線的公司架構、

Ban the Box,

不詢問犯罪記錄

green manufacturing companies," right?

的綠色製造商。」對吧？

But the question we have to ask is, where is the wealth?

但我們該問的問題是， 財富資源在哪裡？

Where is the money?

錢在哪裡？

Where's the capital in our communities

社群中，用來建立

to build the types of businesses that we want?

我們所想要的這種企業的資本在哪裡？

And in telling a story of the white side of my family,

在訴說我白人家庭這一邊的故事時，

I needed a dozen ways

我有很多故事可以說明，

where blacks were excluded from the economy,

為什麼故事中的黑人 被排除在經濟體之外，

whereas the white side of my family was able to gain access and traction,

而我家庭的白人這一邊 卻能獲得進入與引介的門檻，

and build wealth ...

並建立起財富的故事。

Primarily because racism and capitalism are best homies, but --

主因是種族主義與資本主義是好朋友，

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

but what that means is that when we ask ourselves,

但那意味著，當我們自問：

"Why are our communities broke?" --

「為什麼我們的社群會缺乏資金？」

Like, we're not just broke because we're broke;

我們並不只是缺乏資金而缺錢，

we're broke for a reason.

我們沒錢是有原因的。

Historical context really does matter.

這當中歷史背景 扮演了重要的角色。

But our history tells another story as well.

但我們的歷史也說了另一個故事。

There's this incredible book called "Collective Courage,"

有一本很棒的書叫「集體勇氣」，

which is the story of how thousands of African Americans

內容是關於數千名非裔美國人

have been able to build businesses and schools,

如何能夠建立起事業、學校、

hospitals, farming cooperatives,

醫院、農業合作社、

banks, financial institutions --

銀行、金融機構，

entire communities and sovereign economies,

整個社區以及獨立自主的經濟，

without a lot of capital.

而且是從小資本開始建立起來的。

And they did it by working together

他們能辦到，是因為能同心協力，

and leveraging their community assets

利用社群的資產槓桿，

and trusting each other

並相信彼此，

and putting solidarity first --

將團結擺在第一，

not just profits by any means necessary.

而不是不計一切只追求利潤。

And they didn't have to wait around for celebrities and athletes

他們不需要等待名人或運動員

to bring their money back to the hood.

把錢帶回到他們的街坊。

However, if you are a celebrity or an athlete,

然而，如果你是名人或運動員，

and you're listening to this,

且你正在聽這場演講，

please feel free to bring your money.

請別客氣，把你的錢 帶進來一起投資。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But they did it through cooperative economics,

但他們是透過「合作型經濟」辦到的，

because they knew

因為他們知道，

that capitalism was never going to finance black liberation.

資本從未資助過解放後的黑人。

So, there are so many great examples in this book,

在這本書中有許多很棒的例子，

and I suggest that everybody just read it

我建議大家都去找這本書來看，

because it answers the question I asked earlier,

因為它回答了我先前問的問題，

which was where are we going to get the wealth

也就是：我們要從哪裡得到財富資源

to build the types of business that we want.

來建立起我們想要的企業類型？

And the answer is going to have to be cooperative economics.

而答案就是合作型經濟。

There's a lot of different versions of cooperativism.

合作的方式有很多種不同的版本。

What I'm talking about today is worker ownership.

我今天要談的是勞動者所有權。

You may not have heard of worker ownership,

你可能沒聽過勞動者所有權，

but it's been an incredible tool

但它是近一個世紀中

for black economic liberation for a century,

黑人經濟自由的極佳工具，

and it's also working all over the world right now.

且全世界都在用它。

You may have heard of Black Wall Street

你們可能有聽過黑色華爾街，

or maybe the Zapatistas,

或薩帕塔民族解放軍，

but I'll give you an example that's a little bit closer to home.

但我要舉個 離我家鄉更近的例子。

Right now, today, in South Bronx,

目前，在南布隆克斯區，

is the country's largest worker-owned company.

有一間全國最大的 勞動者所有權的公司。

It's called Cooperative Home Care Associates,

它叫「合作家庭護理聯營公司」，

and it was founded by black and Latinx home care workers

它是由黑人及拉丁裔的 家庭護理工作者所成立的，

who are now able to pay themselves living wages,

他們現在有能力可支付自己 足以維生的薪水，

they have full-time hours,

他們做全職工作，

they have benefits and a pension,

他們也有津貼和退休金，

through their membership as a unit of SEIU.

因為他們也是 SEIU （服務業雇員國際聯合會 ）的會員。

And these women owners now receive a dividend back on their ownership

現在這些女性所有權人 可以透過她們自己的股份

every year that the company has been profitable,

每年從公司獲利中獲得股息，

which has been most years.

而公司也幾乎都年年獲利。

So they're able to really enjoy the fruits of their labor

所以她們得以享受 她們付出勞力的成果，

because they fired the boss.

因為她們開除了老闆。

They don't have any big investors.

她們沒有任何大型投資者。

They don't have fat-cat CEOs

她們沒有肥貓型的執行長，

or absentee owners taking the profit out of the company.

或總是缺席卻能從公司 拿走獲利的所有權人。

They each pay in about 1,000 dollars over time

她們每個人隨著時間存入一千美元，

in order to gain ownership,

以取得所有權，

and now they own their job.

而現在她們擁有她們的工作。

Now, there's hundreds of more examples of companies like this

像這樣的公司，還有數百個例子，

springing up all across the country.

在全國各地出現。

And I'm so inspired by what they're doing,

我被他們的所做所為給激勵到，

because it really represents an alternative

因為這確實代表著， 我們除了目前這種剝削

to the type of economy we have now,

所有人的經濟類型之外，

which exploits all of us.

我們還有另一種 替代方案可以選擇。

It also represents an alternative

也就是說，我們除了等大型投資者

to waiting around for big investors to bring chain stores,

把連鎖商店或倉儲式商店 帶進我們社區之外，

or big-box stores to our communities,

我們還有另一個替代方案，

because honestly, those types of developments,

因為，老實說，這類大型企業的發展，

they steal resources from our communities.

都是在偷走我們社區的資源。

They put our mom-and-pop shops out of business,

它們讓夫妻經營的小店關門大吉，

they make our entrepreneurs into wage workers,

它們讓我們的企業家 變成領薪水的勞工，

and they take money out of our pocket

它們從我們的口袋把錢拿走，

and send it to their shareholders.

分給他們的股東。

So, I was so inspired by all these stories of resistance and resilience

所以，我受到這些抵抗大型企業 且韌性堅強的故事所激勵，

that I got together with a few people here in Los Angeles,

所以我在洛杉磯這裡 招集了幾個人，

and we created LUCI.

我們一起創立了 LUCI。

LUCI stands for the Los Angeles Union Cooperative Initiative,

LUCI 是洛杉磯 聯合合作創始會的縮寫，

and our objective is to create more worker-owned businesses

我們的方針是要在洛杉磯創立更多

here in Los Angeles.

由勞動者擁有的企業。

So far, in the last year, we've created two:

目前為止，在去年我們創立了兩家：

Pacific Electric, an electrical company,

一間叫「太平洋電氣」的電氣公司、

and Vermont Gage Carwash,

以及「Vermont Gage 洗車場」，

which is right here in South-Central,

它就在中南區這裡，

some of you guys might be familiar with it.

你們當中有些人可能很熟悉。

This long-time carwash is now owned and operated by its 20 workers,

這個歷史悠久的洗車場現在是由 20 個勞動者所擁有和經營，

all of whom are union members as well.

他們也都是工會的成員。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

So you might be wondering why the focus on union-worker ownership,

你們可能會好奇，為什麼我們會著重 工會勞工所有權式的聯合公司？

but there's a lot of good reasons

有很多很好的理由可說明

why the labor movement is a natural ally to the worker-ownership movement.

為什麼勞工運動很自然會 和勞動者所有權運動有所關聯。

To build these companies that we want in our community,

為了要在社區 建立起我們希望的公司，

we need a few things.

我們需要幾樣東西。

We're going to need money, people and training.

我們需要錢、人及訓練。

Unions have all of those things.

這些都是工會可以提供的。

America's working class has been paying union dues for decades,

美國的勞工階級數十年來， 一直都在支付工會的會費，

and with it, our unions have been building

工會運用些會費

dignified, decent, and democratic workplaces for us.

為我們建立有尊嚴的、 體面的、民主的工作環境。

However, union jobs are on the steep decline,

然而屬於工會的工作正快速減少，

and it's time for us to start calling on our unions

該是我們呼籲工會，

to really bring all of their financial and political capital

請他們確實把他們的 財務及政治資本

to bear in the creation of new, union, living-wage jobs

帶來協助我們的社區，

創建新的、工會的， 且足以維生的薪水工作。

in our communities.

Also, union halls are full of union members

此外，工會裡有很多工會成員，

who understand the importance of solidarity

他們都了解團結的重要性，

and the power of collective action.

以及集體行動的影響力。

These are the types of folks that want more union businesses to exist,

這群人也希望有更多 工會性質的企業能生存下來，

so let's build them with them.

所以大家要一起與工會 建立起這樣的企業。

Learning from our unions,

向我們的工會學習，

learning from our past,

向我們的過去學習，

learning from our peers,

向我們的同儕學習，

are all going to be very important to our success,

這些都對我們的成功都非常重要，

which is why I'd like to leave you with one last example

這就是為什麼我要 再給各位最後一個例子，

and a vision for the future ...

以及對未來的願景。

and that vision is Mondragon, Spain.

那個願景就是西班牙的蒙德拉貢公司。

Mondragon, Spain is a community built entirely around worker cooperatives.

蒙德拉貢公司完全是由 勞動者所建立的聯合社群。

There's 260-plus businesses here,

裡面有 260 間以上的企業，

manufacturing everything from bicycles to washing machines to transformers.

製造各種東西，從腳踏車、 洗衣機，到變壓器都有。

And this group of businesses now employs 80,000 people

整個企業集團現在 共僱用了八萬名員工，

and earns more than 12 billion euros in revenue every year.

年收益超過 120 億歐元。

And all of the companies there are owned by the people that work in them.

那裡所有的公司都由 在公司裡工作的人所擁有。

They've also built universities and hospitals and financial institutions.

他們也建造了大學、醫院、金融機構。

I mean, imagine if we could build something like this in South-Central.

想像一下，如果我們在中南區 也能建立這樣的社區，會如何。

The late mayor of Jackson had a similar idea.

已逝的前市長傑克森有過類似的點子，

He wanted to turn his entire city into a Mondragon-like cooperative economy,

他想要把整個城市轉變成 類似蒙德拉貢的合作經濟體，

calling his ambitious plan "Jackson Rising."

他把這個很有野心的計畫 稱為「傑克森起義」。

And when I look at Mondragon,

當我在看蒙德拉貢時，

I see really what working-class people can do for ourselves

我真的看到工薪階級 能為自己做些什麼，

when we work together

當我們團結在一起時，

and make decisions for ourselves and each other

真的能為自己、彼此，及社區

and our communities.

做出決策。

And what's really incredible about Mondragon

關於蒙德拉貢公司，還有很妙的一點，

is that while we are dreaming about them,

就是當我們夢想成為他們時，

they are dreaming about us.

他們卻在夢想成為我們。

This community in Spain has decided to launch an international initiative

這個西班牙社群決定要推出 全球性的創始會員活動，

to create more communities like it all over the world,

以在全世界創造出更多 像它這樣的社區，

by linking up with unions,

做法包括與聯合會做連結、

by supporting organizations like LUCI,

支持像 LUCI 這類的組織、

and by educating folks about the worker-ownership model.

以及教導人們認識 「勞動者所有權」的公司模式。

Now, here's what you can do to be a part of it.

如果你想成為一員，你可以做的是：

If you're a union member, go to your union meetings,

如果你是工會成員， 請去參加你的工會會議，

and make sure that your union has a worker-ownership initiative,

並確保你的工會有 勞動者所有權的創始機制，

and become a part of it.

並加入成為它的一部份。

If you're an entrepreneur,

如果你是企業家，

if you have a small business,

如果你有一間小型企業，

or you're interested in starting one,

或是你有興趣要成立一間，

then link up with LUCI or another organization like us

那麼就去與 LUCI 或 其它類似我們的組織做連結，

to help you get started on the cooperative model.

來協助你開始採用 合作型經濟的模式。

If you're a politician,

如果你是政治家，

or you work for one,

或是你為政治家工作，

or you just like talking to them,

或是你就是喜歡和政治家說話，

please get the city, state, federal and county legislation passed

請協助讓市、州、聯邦 和郡能通過法令，

that we need in order to fund and support worker-owned businesses.

因為我們需要這些法令去資助和 支持那些勞動者擁有的企業。

And for everybody else,

至於其他人，

learn about our history, learn about our models,

多了解我們的歷史、我們的模式，

and seek us out so can support us,

來找我們，來支援我們，

you can buy from us, invest in us, lend to us and join us,

你們可以向我們購買東西、 投資我們、借款給我們、加入我們，

because it's really going to take all of us

因為真的需要我們所有人齊心，

in order to build the more just and sustainable and resilient economy

才能建立起更公正、永續、 回復力強的經濟體，

that we want for ourselves and our children.

而這也是我們及後代子孫們的希望。

And with that,

有鑑於此，

I would like to leave you with a quote from Arundhati Roy,

我要留給各位一句名言， 這名言來自阿蘭達蒂羅伊，

and she writes ...

她這麼寫：

"Our strategy should not be only to confront Empire,

「我們的策略不該只是對抗帝國，

but to lay siege to it.

也要圍攻它，

To deprive it of oxygen.

奪走它的氧氣，

To mock it.

嘲笑它、

To shame it.

羞辱它。

With our art,

用我們的藝術、

our literature,

我們的文學作品、

our music,

我們的音樂、

our brilliance,

我們的才華、

our joy,

我們的喜悅、

our sheer relentlessness --

我們不屈不饒的精神，

and our ability to tell our own stories.

以及我們訴說自己故事的能力。

Not the stories that we're being brainwashed to believe.

不要再去相信它們的洗腦故事。

The corporate revolution will collapse

我們的企業革命將會使它們崩壞，

if we refuse to buy what they're selling --

如果我們拒絕企業販賣的產品，

their ideas,

他們的點子、

their version of history,

他們版本的歷史、

their wars,

他們的戰爭、

their weapons,

他們的武器、

their sense of inevitability.

他們所謂的必要性。

Because know this:

因為，要知道，

They be few and we be many.

他們是少數，我們是多數。

They need us more than we need them.

他們需要我們，多於我們需要他們。

Another world is not only possible,

另一個世界並非不可能，

she's on her way.

她已經在路上了。

And on a quiet day,

在平靜的日子，

I can hear her breathing."

我能聽見她的呼吸。」

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）