Mondragón and the United SteelWorkers Union collaborate to promote industrial cooperatives in the U.S. and Canada

The Mondragón Corporation and the North American Union United Steelworkers (USW) have signed a collaboration agreement. Both organizations will work together to promote industrial cooperatives to adapt its principles and operation to the Mondragón model, characterized as members those who hold the ownership of the cooperative and by the basic principle of 'one person, one vote'.

This agreement is framed within the rapid and profound change that the world and the rapid transformation of the global economy, requiring new approaches to performance. Mondragon believes that, based on its experience, it can contribute to highlight a new model more open, participatory, fairness and solidarity, in accordance with its cooperative values reflected in its motto ' Humanity at work'.

The main objective of this partnership agreement is to generate industrial employment in United States and Canada which will help to improve the quality of life of workers and their local communities or environment social, that they are sustainable jobs in a sustainable economy. The agreement attempts to show that the Mondragón cooperative model can be highly effective when it is carried out by a task force organized as the USW Union and adapting to the culture of United States.

It should be stressed that USW is the largest industrial Union of United States, representing 1.2 million members, active and pensioners, belonging to a diverse range of industrial activities. It is the most progressive trade union of U.S., very close to the President Obama and very concerned about the future of industrial jobs in United States. For its part, the Mondragón Corporation is a global leader of development cooperation, which in 2008 was a total income of 16,770 million euros with a workforce of 92.773 people in its four business areas: finance, industry, distribution and knowledge.

Mondragón is present since many years in the U.S. market, where turnover of around 200 million dollars in 2008. It has a corporate delegation in Washington, 21 sales offices of various industrial activities and a production plant for bicycle Orbea in Kansas. It maintains a close relationship with major cooperative organizations in the country, such as the National Cooperative Business Association, the National Rural Electric Association or the National Cooperative Bank. Now, the number of cooperatives in United States stands at 29,000, employing 80 million members and 3,000 million of assets.