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2000 • Annual Report • 2000
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With
WAGES' assistance, women become more
economically stable through cooperative ownership. We make use of
the cooperative structure to allow women to pool their skills and
work together to succeed. Members make decisions democratically
by giving each person a vote and distributing income equitably to
all workers.
Our
mission is to promote the economic and social well-being of low-income
women and to raise their awareness and participation in the struggle
for self-determination and a just and democratic community.
“Before
joining the cooperative, I worked as an
assembly worker. I didn’t like being an employee-
they didn’t recognize my capacities. Now,
I’m doing work I like to do. I have opportunities
to learn new skills. I’m more confident.”
– Cooperative member
Since
1995 WAGES has helped women to identify feasible business opportunities
and to start environmentally sound housecleaning businesses and
a retail party supply store. We are currently assisting:
Emma’s
Eco-Clean, Redwood City
Opened with five women in 1999. By the end of 2000 they were operating
with 12 owners.
Eco-Care
Housecleaning, Morgan Hill
In 2000, nine women began business start up training. Their business
opened on April 30, 2001.
2000
• COOPERATIVE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS •2000
Emma’s
Eco-Clean in Redwood City expanded dramatically:
| In
1999: |
In
2000: |
- Gross
sales were $45,000
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- Gross
sales reached $201,000 - a 350% increase from 1999
|
|
- Emma's
employed twelve workers - doubling its workforce
from 1999
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- Emma's
employed six workers
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- Provided
work for an additional eight women as substitute cleaners
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In
2000 members of Emma’s Eco-Clean earned $11-14 per hour plus
benefits, which included:
- paid
training and meeting time
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- paid
travel time between clients' houses
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- $150
each in health benefits
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- taxes
submitted for them on their behalf every quarter
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- mileage
and laundry reimbursements
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- the
use of least-toxic products in their own homes at
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- access
to personal loans through the business
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no personal cost
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After
orienting 60 women at 6 organizations throughout the Bay Area,
WAGES began a new cooperative development project with a group of
women affiliated with the Learning and Loving Center in Morgan Hill.
- Nine
women completed a 6-month, 210 hour business cooperative training
program.
- They
completed their business plan.
- Members
raised $10,000 through tamale sales, car washes and membership
fees to offset start-up loans.
- They
hired Office and Business Managers.
Non
-Toxic Professional Housecleaning in Mountain View graduated
from WAGES’
3 - year technical assistance program. Nine women continue to provide
environmentally sound housecleaning services in the Palo Alto area
as a result of WAGES’ program.
2000
•EDUCATION
• MODEL
DISSEMINATION •2000
- WAGES
coordinated 7 hours of training in environmental protection and
workplace safety. (Thanks to volunteers Karin Morris and
Raquel Sancho)
- Volunteer
Roy Schachter offered a 4-hour diversity training for co-op
members.
- WAGES
provided 230 hours of direct training in business cooperative
ownership, conflict-resolution, tax preparation, and teamwork.
- Three
interns from the cooperatives (Indra Barragan, Vicky
Lemus and Maria Rosales) joined WAGES to develop a
least-toxic training program and assist in business training for
new co-op members.
In
addition we:
- Presented
our development model at three conferences including: Cooperative
Charitable Trust in Cambridge, Mass., UC Berkeley School
of Education, UC Davis-Center for Cooperatives Annual Conference.
- Provided
detailed information about our model to 16 development organizations
throughout the U.S.
- Changed
our cooperative development program to build a network of interdependent
cooperatives providing mutual support and training to other women.
2000
• UPDATES
• CELEBRATIONS •
2000
- We
successfully relocated to two new office sites following rent
increases in the Silicon Valley.
- Our
main office moved to Oakland in November, sharing space
with the New Non-Profit Nexus, and program staff are working
out of an office in the Fair Oaks Community Center in Redwood
City.
- We
upgraded our computer system to include iMacs, iBooks and a new
internet service, based on a new technology plan finalized by
Tech Soup/Compumentor to assist in communicating across the region
and in launching our new website.
WAGES
celebrated our accomplishments with great food and dancing at
a grand year-end party in Mountain View. Each cooperative member
gave one of her co-workers a special ‘thank you’ for some
aspect of her work that she appreciated.
2000
• DONORS•
2000
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Individual
Donors
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In-Kind
Donations
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M.
Aiken, M. Ashley and J. Steven Meyer, J. Barker,
J. Bielman, K. Brodie, S. Brown, C. Caddes, R. Cook,
M. and E. Curran, M. Clayton, M. Daniels, M. Davey,
T. and N. Fiene, L. Gibbons, J. Good, N. Graham,
P. Grossman and K. Schwartz, L. Hancock, S. Holcombe & E.
Weaver, A. Ivancovich, S. & R. Johnson, Dr. L.
Lawrence, K. Lemes, J. and J. Littlefield, J. Lyman,
J. Meseck-Yeager, J. Muller, A. Olsen, A. O’Neil Dauer,
M. Parnes, G. & T. Quinlan, S. Raday, M. Sweeney,
L. Serrato, C. Urbas and R. Mohabir, M. Ziegler,
Anonymous |
Ervin
Barrios (translation)
Carolyn Caddes (photography)
Compumentor (technology plan & computer volunteers)
Elena Featherston (multicultural training)
Learning and Loving Education Center
(recruitment, childcare, training space, hospitality)
Microsoft (computer software)
Silicon Valley Community Foundation (technology plan)
Paul Terry & Associates (business planning) |
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2000 annual report
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