(This isn't to say corporations are good, just that even when you try to go the other way it just turns into the same shit if you don't do the work.)
I started working for a worker cooperative restaurant as a “probationary owner” last September. It started at minimum wage and I was told I could buy in for $5000 if I liked it after 6 months. I would get a $3 raise when I bought in.
They treat “probationary” owners as full owners and really empowered us to feel that way. We could “make any opportunity” for ourselves and “everyone can do everything.” They really wanted us to know that we were all equals… (except for our wages.)
Basically we were expected to answer our phones at all hours, be barraged with constant emails and texts. There are unpaid monthly staff meetings that can be as long as 4 hours (and on our only day off!). The low wage workers are the ones running the restaurant and doing all the bonus work (doing orders, picking up things, fixing walls/floors etc).
We all asked if we could get a dollar raise and the “actual” owner said that wouldn't happen until he got a raise first because “he did all the hard work to open it” without acknowledgement that we maintain it very well. To be honest, this guy is never even around and is constantly on vacation.
There's just no accountability either. When someone does something wrong it goes unnoticed and unpunished. For example, one of the full owners hit a probationary owner and nothing happened. Despite many other instances of misogyny or violence from this one particular full owner, they claim he “just doesn't know any better”.
The ironic part is that the main owner works for a group that addresses Low Income Housing…. yet he pays his workers who are there everyday minimum wage. It's unfortunately not enough.
Most of us are a few weeks behind on rent.We've told him this and he does nothing.
He even had the audacity to brag in a magazine that he pays us a living wage. Our wage is actually $4 under what is considered a living wage is in our city.
One time he even said “because of the way capitalism is, I have to pay you minimum wage because that's the system they've created!”
I could go on but I will say – I met some of the best people ever there – the other minimum wage employees. I was kind of sad to quit but my paycheques are already 30% higher at my new job.
TL;DR – if you're going to open a worker cooperative restaurant, lead by example and pay your skilled workers accordingly! Don't enable a system that impoverishes hard workers.