Fourth of July picnic * Spring Grove soda pop * Co-ops & Labor Unions * BILL'S COFFEESHOP NEWSLETTER * VOL. 12 * JULY 2, 2011
YOU'RE INVITED
TO OUR PICNIC
Uptown Bill's is planning a picnic lunch on Monday, July 4th. It's at 1 pm. We'll have the usual fare, including hot dogs and potato salad. It's free (okay, we do pass the hat for donations). You're welcome to bring a favorite dish, though that's not required. We'd love to see you -- even if it's just a brief stop before you head off to another barbecue or picnic.
JANE ADDAMS' VISION OF SOCIAL WORK
INCLUDED CO-OPS & LABOR UNIONS
A coffeehouse like Wild Bill's or Uptown Bill's is just one of the models for social work practice pioneered by Jane Addams and the other residents of Hull House. They tried lots of other things, too, experimenting with many different ways to improve people's lives and build better communities.
Two models they found particularly effective were cooperatives and labor unions. Addams and the others helped start several cooperatives, including one to buy coal in bulk for heating and another to provide housing for single women working in Chicago. They also helped organize several labor unions, including one for women in the garment industry.
Addams believed very strongly that individuals and communities should have a say in their neighborhoods and their jobs. She saw co-ops and labor unions as ways to extend democracy into the marketplace and the the workplace. This theme of extending democracy appears in every book she wrote and in dozens of articles.
Addams also saw co-ops and labor unions as organized ways for people to take care of each other. And she imagined that both could help transform society in a more peaceful and more equitable place.
STILL A VISION
FOR US TODAY
It's been more than a century since Addams first outlined her vision of social work: a quest for a society with peace and justice for all. But it's a vision which still can be applied in our time. Co-ops and labor unions still have the potential to extend democracy into the marketplace.
The resurgence of co-op grocery stores in recent decades shows this vision is still relevant. New Pioneer in Iowa City is one example of this economic democracy described by Jane Addams. A brand new example: Tallgrass Co-op, a grocery opening in September in Des Moines. (See below for more on this new venture.)
There also has been a renewed interest in labor unions. COGS, the UE local which represents graduate assistants at the University of Iowa, is one example. This union emerged because graduate students wanted a voice in their workplace. Graduate students at other universities are pursuing the same approach.
When I was at Wild Bill's, we talked about the idea of the coffeeshop operating as a cooperative. In fact, a study team of business students reviewed the idea, and concluded that it is possible. But there are no current models for co-ops at this university for cooperatives (though there are at other universities and there were housing co-ops here in the past). So creating such a co-op will take time.
A cooperative could also be a model for Uptown Bill's. It could be a co-op in which the operators of each business are the member of the cooperative. More about that idea in the near future.
SPRING GROVE
SODA IS HERE
Looking for a really old-fashioned soda pop. Stop in and try one of the eight flavors we have from Spring Grove Soda. Located in Spring Grove, Minnesota, this company has been bottling soda pop for more than a century. Used to be that you couldn't get Spring Grove Soda outside of a very small area in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa (unless you drove to the bottling plant). But now it's available at Uptown Bill's. Stop in soon and try root beer, lemon sour or one of the other flavors.
TAKE A LOOK
TO OUR PICNIC
Uptown Bill's is planning a picnic lunch on Monday, July 4th. It's at 1 pm. We'll have the usual fare, including hot dogs and potato salad. It's free (okay, we do pass the hat for donations). You're welcome to bring a favorite dish, though that's not required. We'd love to see you -- even if it's just a brief stop before you head off to another barbecue or picnic.
JANE ADDAMS' VISION OF SOCIAL WORK
INCLUDED CO-OPS & LABOR UNIONS
A coffeehouse like Wild Bill's or Uptown Bill's is just one of the models for social work practice pioneered by Jane Addams and the other residents of Hull House. They tried lots of other things, too, experimenting with many different ways to improve people's lives and build better communities.
Two models they found particularly effective were cooperatives and labor unions. Addams and the others helped start several cooperatives, including one to buy coal in bulk for heating and another to provide housing for single women working in Chicago. They also helped organize several labor unions, including one for women in the garment industry.
Addams believed very strongly that individuals and communities should have a say in their neighborhoods and their jobs. She saw co-ops and labor unions as ways to extend democracy into the marketplace and the the workplace. This theme of extending democracy appears in every book she wrote and in dozens of articles.
Addams also saw co-ops and labor unions as organized ways for people to take care of each other. And she imagined that both could help transform society in a more peaceful and more equitable place.
STILL A VISION
FOR US TODAY
It's been more than a century since Addams first outlined her vision of social work: a quest for a society with peace and justice for all. But it's a vision which still can be applied in our time. Co-ops and labor unions still have the potential to extend democracy into the marketplace.
The resurgence of co-op grocery stores in recent decades shows this vision is still relevant. New Pioneer in Iowa City is one example of this economic democracy described by Jane Addams. A brand new example: Tallgrass Co-op, a grocery opening in September in Des Moines. (See below for more on this new venture.)
There also has been a renewed interest in labor unions. COGS, the UE local which represents graduate assistants at the University of Iowa, is one example. This union emerged because graduate students wanted a voice in their workplace. Graduate students at other universities are pursuing the same approach.
When I was at Wild Bill's, we talked about the idea of the coffeeshop operating as a cooperative. In fact, a study team of business students reviewed the idea, and concluded that it is possible. But there are no current models for co-ops at this university for cooperatives (though there are at other universities and there were housing co-ops here in the past). So creating such a co-op will take time.
A cooperative could also be a model for Uptown Bill's. It could be a co-op in which the operators of each business are the member of the cooperative. More about that idea in the near future.
SPRING GROVE
SODA IS HERE
Looking for a really old-fashioned soda pop. Stop in and try one of the eight flavors we have from Spring Grove Soda. Located in Spring Grove, Minnesota, this company has been bottling soda pop for more than a century. Used to be that you couldn't get Spring Grove Soda outside of a very small area in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa (unless you drove to the bottling plant). But now it's available at Uptown Bill's. Stop in soon and try root beer, lemon sour or one of the other flavors.
TAKE A LOOK
AT FAIR TRADE
Uptown Bill's serves a fair trade coffee distributed by Cafe de Sol. Like to learn more about fair trade coffee -- and other fair trade products. Check out the Fair Trade Resource Network: http://www.fairtraderesource.org/
NEW FILM
ON CO-OPS
A new film about grocery cooperatives in the US is now in production. You can learn more (and see a preview) at this website: http://foodforchangemovie.com. There are co-op markets in more than a dozen Minnesota communities and almost as many in Iowa.
NEW GROCERY CO-OP
COMING TO DES MOINES
A new co-op grocery, Tallgrass Market, is scheduled to open this fall in Des Moines. Here's a link to a column in the Des Moines Register about the new co-op: http://dmjuice.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110615/BASU/106150331.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEW GROCERY CO-OP
COMING TO DES MOINES
A new co-op grocery, Tallgrass Market, is scheduled to open this fall in Des Moines. Here's a link to a column in the Des Moines Register about the new co-op: http://dmjuice.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110615/BASU/106150331.
Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a virtual extension of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's Coffee House. Published since 2000, the Newsletter is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former manager of Wild Bill's and now director of Uptown Bill's. You can write to him at tomgilsenan@gmail.com
Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. It has been a part of campus life in Iowa City for more than 35 years. Located in North Hall, the coffeeshop is open weekdays from 8:30 am during the summer. For more information, check the Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop page on Facebook. You can call the coffeeshop at (319) 335-1281. Donations to support the work of the coffeeshop may be sent to: Bill's Coffeeshop Fund, University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244. Contributions are tax deductible.
Uptown Bill's is the crosstown cousin of Wild Bill's. Now in its 10th year, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other businesses in addition to a coffeeshop. Located at 730 S. Dubuque, Uptown Bill's is open Monday through Saturday from 7 am. For more information, check the Uptown Bill's website or Facebook page. You can call Uptown Bill's at (319) 339-0401. Donations to support the work of Uptown Bill's may be sent to: Extend the Dream Foundation, Uptown Bill's, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Contributions are tax deductible.
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In the spirit of Bill Sackter, Uptown Bill's strives to nurture and encourage a gathering place where people of all abilities are welcome. Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Watch us on You Tube: www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLEE41220297F8D82C
Visit our web page: www.uptownbills.org
posted by Tom Gilsenan @ 10:41 AM
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