Socialist Strategy and Cooperatives /w Sam Gindin

Sam Gindin shares his critique of cooperatives and his ideas about the broader challenges of building socialism.

Sam Gindin served as research director of the Canadian region of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and later as chief economist and Assistant to the President of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union. At both unions, he participated in major collective bargaining, policy development, and strategic discussions on direction of the union.

He drew on that experience to author The Canadian Auto Workers: The Birth and Transformation of a Union. He co-authored The Making of Global Capitalism: The Political Economy of American Empire and The Socialist Challenge Today (with Leo Panitch) and In and Out of Crisis: The Global Financial Meltdown and Left Alternatives (with Greg Albo and Leo Panitch).

His articles for Jacobin mentioned in this episode include “Chasing Utopia: Worker ownership and cooperatives will not succeed by competing on capitalism’s terms, and “What a Socialist Society Could Actually Look Like.”

The interview was conducted by Dru Oja Jay, host of Half Past Capitalism. Also available as a podcast.