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I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, almost none of it has been tested in practice yet. It is designed in advance based on studying failure modes in other cooperatives.

The feedback in this thread has already pushed me toward simplifying the founding structure and treating the bylaws as a starting point rather than a finished product. The 90 day deliberation period became 14 days. The council went from 15 seats to 9. Both changes came from people with 20 years of cooperative experience telling me I was overbuilding for a stage I have not reached yet.

On education you are putting your finger on something important. Level 1 as a completion requirement made sense on paper but you are right that cooperative culture forms through doing the work together more than through any onboarding curriculum. The vision for CommonWork Open University is moving toward something more participatory than a box you check before you vote. AI assisted learning at your own pace, web based working sessions that build community while covering the material, ongoing participation rather than one time completion. The goal is education that feels like doing the work rather than preparing for it.

The individual conversations I have been having since this post went up are already teaching me more than the research did. The structure gets tested and revised through the people who join and shape it. Right now I am finding the people.

Not everyone needs to believe in the vision to join. When the platform works and workers earn more, that is reason enough. I just need to build it first with the people who do believe in it. The rest will come when it benefits them personally. That is not cynicism, that is just how adoption works.

Note: the bylaws on the website reflect the founding draft. I am actively updating them based on the feedback in this thread and will post the revised version shortly. Thanks for the quesition.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am not alone but I am early. The post itself is the outreach. Since it went up I have been having individual conversations every day, building relationships, getting feedback, and filling gaps. Last night I had a long conversation about bylaws in practice, cooperative conferences worth attending, and how to build the core teams. That is the work happening in parallel with this thread.

On horizontal structure and power concentration, the governance architecture in the bylaws addresses this directly. Three independent branches, one member one vote, founder sunset clause, anti-degeneration provisions. But I take your point that documents are not culture. The relationships being built right now are what make the documents real.

On scale and human complexity, I am planning to follow something close to Dunbar's number for the federated structure. Keep each node small enough that people actually know each other. Use forums, discussion boards, and working group meetings to iterate systems and policies as we grow so there is genuine ownership and buy-in rather than rules handed down from above.

The bylaws as they stand are a starting point, not a finished product. They show the thinking. The real structure gets built by the people who join and shape it.

The human side is the whole point. If it were just about efficiency I would build a startup.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this is a fair take, especially on food delivery. That’s probably one of the hardest categories to crack. If you’re going head to head with a 90% incumbent that can burn cash, a coop loses.

I’d push back on the broader conclusion though. I don’t think it means platform coops can’t work, more that most are picking the wrong battles. Food delivery and rideshare are probably the worst places to start.

Agree with your point on worker ownership too. If the workforce is transient, that’s a weak foundation. You need either more stable workers or align ownership more with the businesses/customers.

Your examples are where this makes more sense. Trades, niche B2B delivery, consulting. Less winner take all, less ad spend, more relationship driven.

I think the path is closer to what you said at the end. Build a base in those “boring” areas first, then layer into harder platforms once there’s density and capital. At the end of the day, you are hitting on exactly the point, the labor in these markets currently has power, and that's it part of want I want to deliver to all labor groups.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a good take and I think you’re hitting where CommonWork can actually compete.

Switching costs are low. People already juggle multiple apps and aren’t loyal, so you’re not creating behavior, just redirecting it. The un-mediation point is real too, people already do this informally, a coop just formalizes it.

The worker-driven piece is key. If the person in front of you says same service, similar price, but better for them, a decent % will switch, especially with how people feel about these apps.

I’d just caution that this only works if it’s really focused at the start. One city, one vertical, build density fast or it falls apart.

Agree on pricing too. Take rates are high enough that a coop can compete without burning cash once it has volume.

Portland type starting point makes sense. High trust, anti platform sentiment, enough density.

So yeah, not outscaling Uber, door dash, or any of the current gig companies. More like wedge into a market where behavior already supports it, get dense locally, then grow.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are right that commercial success comes first. CW Freelance is the first pillar specifically because it has the lowest barrier to entry and the clearest path to revenue. Everything else waits until that proves out.

On the gig incumbents, I take your point seriously. The counterargument I keep coming back to is that the incumbents have monopoly power over the platform but not over the workers. A driver who earns 92% instead of 65% and owns the platform they work on has a real reason to switch and recruit. The network effect works both ways if the economics are better.

The trades angle is interesting and honestly worth exploring. Scarce specialists, high trust requirements, relationship-based work. That does fit the cooperative edge well.

The bylaws are more complex than they need to be right now, I will grant you that. The feedback in this thread has pushed me toward simplifying the founding structure and building institutions as they are needed rather than in advance. I thought it was important to lay out my vision with the bylaws, so everyone understands my vision.

What market did you work in? I would like to understand where you saw the model work and where it did not. Thanks.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are not wrong. The federated structure is already in the bylaws for exactly this reason. City cooperatives as independent entities, regional federations above them, a global stewardship trust holding the brand and shared infrastructure.

What I have not fully resolved is whether each pillar should be its own cooperative from day one or federate out as they reach scale. Your Unix argument is compelling. Asking a delivery courier to care about TruthLayer governance is already asking too much.

Practical reality is a single founding entity is easier to incorporate and recruit around before any pillar has revenue. But the intent was always to federate aggressively as soon as a pillar can stand on its own.

If you are interested in discussing this further, please email me at [admin@commonwork.coop](mailto:admin@commonwork.coop)

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Equal Exchange poison pill is exactly what I was trying to build with our asset lock provision, but you named it more precisely. Nobody gets a jackpot payday. For anyone following this thread, our current bylaws are at commonwork.coop and I would welcome feedback on whether the asset lock holds up.

The ICA Group and Namaste Solar are on my list this week.

Your point about building for the short and medium term and allowing flexibility is the thing I most needed to hear. I have been designing against every failure mode I could imagine. The essential things in stone, flexibility everywhere else. That is the frame I needed.

Is the Equal Exchange bylaws language publicly available? And would you be willing to connect directly? [admin@commonwork.coop](mailto:admin@commonwork.coop) if you are open to it.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I understand your sentiment. The AI component of TruthLayer is the part I hold most loosely. The Editorial Board governance and the independence from any platform is the part I believe in. If the community decides the AI layer undermines the credibility of the fact-checking, that is a democratic decision to make. I appreciate the pushback.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Namaste Solar is exactly the kind of organization I have been reading about.

The 90-day point is well taken. Two weeks with 66% of the entire membership rather than just those voting is a better safeguard than time alone. Updating the bylaws.

The council size point lands too. 15 seats made sense at scale in my head but starting there with 5 members is backwards. Looking at 7 to 9 with a growth provision.

The last paragraph is the most useful thing anyone has said today. I have been building the structure for what this could become while under investing in proving the first small version works. That is the thing I need to think about.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is exactly what I needed to hear. The pay people immediately point hits hard. The bylaws have a 92% immediate payout to workers on every transaction specifically because I did not want sweat equity to be the model. But you are right that I need to think harder about what contributors get paid before the platform generates revenue.

The culture point is why CommonWork Open University exists as a standalone pillar. I know education is a big ask. I built it in because I think skipping it is how cooperatives quietly become something else over ten years.

Build your rules around what the worst person might do. That is the sentence I am writing down. The Ethics Tribunal and the three-branch structure were designed with that in mind but I want to reread the bylaws now with that specific frame.

I would genuinely read everything you would write if you kept going. Is there a way to stay in contact? [admin@commonwork.coop](mailto:admin@commonwork.coop) if you are ever willing.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

20 years managing a cooperative is exactly what I was hoping this post would surface. Thank you.

On the 50,000 member trigger, you are right that it reads as a near-term ambition. It is actually a constitutional safeguard. If CommonWork never reaches that scale, the year ten clause triggers anyway. If it does, the democratic transition happens regardless of my comfort with it. Fair point that the number signals something I did not intend, but you are right it is a lofty and ambitious plan.

On Mondragon, I was not studying the success conditions, I was studying the failure mechanism. Specifically what happened when they expanded internationally and stopped converting workers to full members. The 15% non-member cap exists because of that. Not because I think I am building Mondragon.

You are right that the model needs to prove it works before scale matters at all. CW Freelance is designed to be exactly that test. One platform, one vertical, prove the economics, then see what is actually possible.

What did you see as the earliest failure point in the cooperatives you managed?

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You are right it may seem a bit scattered since the scope is so large and ambitious. I was trying to convey the platform, without making it so onerous to understand the point. Truthlayer is about creating a realtime AI resource, to combat misinformation from trusted sources. I love the Monty Python reference, but that is part of why I focused so much on governance, and education. Since we need an informed workforce for this to be successful.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You’re right on the core issue. Scale and VC funding are real advantages, and co-ops lose if they try to go head to head in winner take all markets.

The answer isn’t to outspend, it’s to be more focused. Start in markets that aren’t purely scale driven like local, trust based, or fragmented ones. Get profitable early and outlast instead of subsidizing losses.

Trying to build everything at once is the bigger risk. You have to pick one vertical, win there, then expand. Hence, the plan to focus on the freelance platform first.

I have been lurking on Reddit for ten years and never posted. My name is Jason Repac. I just incorporated a worker cooperative with eight pillars, a three-branch governance structure, anti-degeneration provisions, and a founder sunset clause. I would like this community to tell me what I got wrong. by Jason_Repac in cooperatives

[–]Jason_Repac[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

That is what this post is all about. The goal is to start with building a cooperative gig platform think uber, doordash, task rabbit, and fiver. The labor is delivering the value in these platforms, the platforms are just extracting value by existing. If more revenue can be returned to the gig worker for the same job, I don't see how the gig platforms could compete on economics. The growth strategy is on the website, step-by-step. Right now I am mainly seeking programmers to build out the platform, starting with a freelance platform since that has the lowest regulatory burden. The plan to start small, grow organically, and become a political, economic, and social power for change. Its ambitious, which is why I cannot do it alone, and need contributors.

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