There's a really inspiring federation of 40-ish tech worker co-ops in Argentina called FACTTIC[1], who have been developing a neat process called FIT[2] by which they share work amongst themselves via regular check-in calls. It's almost like they're part of a big meta-company together that shared opportunities based on their needs (e.g., who needs the money the most, etc.)
The most exciting part is that they're now trying to share the model with tech worker co-ops abroad, and maybe even figure out how to build similar trust between international co-ops.
Disclaimer: I'm a member of a new tech worker co-op in Toronto, Canada (Hypha[3]), and have a big crush on FACTTIC.
Could coops constitute, at least, a partial solution to ageism? Many of the US commenters have expressed their frustration and experiences in this regard, perhaps cooperatives can serve as a good quality alternative. Perhaps the problem is that it seems a model that fits more with consulting than with a product company.
Hm. Interesting. I mean, I'm biased, but I believe it could.
An analogy I'm trying with friends is that a worker co-op is less like a company that does a specific thing, and more like a ship that sails where it's members wish it to go. It might present as a solid "WE ARE A COMPANY THAT DOES X", but it only does that so long as that serves its members. If the destination doesn't serve the crew, they create a new destination, they don't necessarily ditch crew members.
Also, the crew doesn't worry about the ship sailing away without them :)
We've been working with Hypha for the past few months mentioned above and it's been a good experience. My understanding is they're pretty selective about what sort of projects they take, but it's worth a shot.
Here's a video of a presentation they gave on the format: https://agaric.coop/blog/show-and-tell-agaric-sharing-work-o...
The most exciting part is that they're now trying to share the model with tech worker co-ops abroad, and maybe even figure out how to build similar trust between international co-ops.
Disclaimer: I'm a member of a new tech worker co-op in Toronto, Canada (Hypha[3]), and have a big crush on FACTTIC.
[1]: https://facttic.org.ar/ [2]: https://facttic.org.ar/fit/ [3]: https://hypha.coop