examined how the project could benefit the community both economically and environmentally, a government loan was requested. Although studies indicated that plant operations and expected profits would have enabled the corporation to repay the loan and maintain operations, the government insisted that the local group match the federal money. Essentially, the loan application was denied. The purported reason: that a community-owned and operated corporation was not economically viable enough to warrant federal investment. But many suspected that the real reason was nervousness at ~he spectre of a major·worker-controlled corporation. ... alternative work groups.find the experiment worthwhile because it promises to improve not only the quality of work, but also the quality of life . .. The workers at Youngstown are an example of a growing movement which is exploring alternatives to working patterns in the U.S. To some, their attempts to gain control of their community economies might seem to be isolated incidents. But the research of an organization in New York City ~alled Project Work indicates that such movements are springmg up around the country and are demonstrating that different work structures and ways of working are possible. Itself an alternative workplace, Project Wor~ has become a strong advocate of wha,t could be called "working alternatives." Their own attempts to create a different kind of working situation, and to obtain the funding to support it, illustrate the difficulties that all such organizations encounter, from local day care centers to the Youngstown Coalition. The major obstacle, of course, is that the concept of alternative work i~ widely misunderstood. Changes in work patterns are seen as limited to small-scale reforms such as job-sharing or self-set hours. But these options can lead to more far-reaching changes in work attitudes and structures. Many large corporations are now accepting job-sharing, flexible hours, and worker-determined salaries on a small, experimental scale. However, such changes arre not widely imple- . mented or accepted. They tend·to be viewed within the busiDecember 1979 RAIN Page 17 . ness world as concessions which must be made to accommodate the growing number of women and two-career coupl~s in the work force; they are sometimes introduced to make unions less attractive to corporate workers. ' The kinds of work alternatives which alternative work groups advocate tend to be viewed ·as unrealistic and utopian: useful, perhaps, for students, young parents, or political fringe groups, but not viable for "real" businesses. But Project Work has conducted an extensive survey of almost 100 groups in the New York metropolitan area which covered working alternatives in organizations as varied as bakeries, legal and health services, community technology, churches, filmmakers, book and magazine publishers; and schools. What constitutes a "working alternative" and why do some organizations try it? An important issue that arose in Youngstown is that of community self-determination. The economies of most communities are now controlled by corporations whose headquarters, and interests, lie elsewhere. Smaller, locally based organizations clearly offer more potential for - community decision-making about priorities and needs. Advocates of alternative work tend to measure the value of work not by the margin of financial profit, but by the wdl-being of workers and the contribution to the community at large. Alternative groups are smaller and self-managing, so that workers make the decisions. Frequently, they not only are structured differently, but also provide an alternative service. Examples of such groups are food co-ops, sweat equity housing programs, and day care centers. The efforts of the Youngstown workers indicate that alternative wor~ has even broader potential. Laid off, moved about, shuttled endlessly by the national economy, workers are willing to help create a system more responsive to human needs. Many of the groups in the Project Work survey are not significantly helped by either existing public jobs programs or corporate reforms. Blacks, Puerto Ricans, ex-offenders, and battered women, for example, are offered limited and/or future relief by existing programs, but they continue to be at the mercy of the econo_my. They have been the objects of numerous social programs, most of which are neither designed nor implemented by the recipients themselves. Thus, some alterna½ive groups do not necessarily set out to be models of a new type of•workplace, but ·simply find that a different kind of structure is the best means of satisfying their staff and constituency . Such groups are frequently discouraged by the difficulties in getting,funding. Pn;>ject Work's struggles in this respect arc typical. Staff members draw salaries according to need, but during the initial months of organization, funds were so limThe People's Guide to a Community Work Center: how to start one and run it cooperatively, from: day-long conference on alternative work with workshops designed to explore solutions to the difficultie~ in obtaining . funding and restructuring workplaces. New Ways to Work', 457 Kingsley Av<;: Palo Alto, CA 94301 Alternative Work in New York City, $2.00 from: • Project Work 339 Lafayette St. New York, NY 10012 212/866-2221 Project Work offers consulti~g services to groups who wish to restructure or who encounter difficulties in working alternatively. They also act as a clearinghouse for such groups from around the country. Last year they sponsored a Worker Community Ownership at Youngstown? by StaughtonJ,ynd, $.40 ea., $.20/10 or more, 11/16/78, pp. 4-8 from: WIN Magazine 503 Atlantic Ave., 5th floor Broo~lyn,.NY 11217 212/624-8337 A comprehe.nsive history and analysis of events after. the layoff of 5000 workers by Youngstown Sheet and Tube. Staughton Lynd is general counsel for the Youngstown Ecumenical Coalition, formed to gain worker/community control.
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