Go.Coop

"Omar's flyer was the turning point," exclaimed Gloria Walker, recalling the 2004 flyer posted by Omar Freilla, the executive director of Green Worker Cooperatives.

"It said, 'Fire your boss,' in bold, capital letters." So she did. And she began working with ReBuilders Source, a retail warehouse for surplus and salvaged building materials recovered from construction and demolition jobs.

ReBuilders Source is the first cooperative created by Green Worker Cooperatives, which is dedicated to incubating worker-owned and environmentally friendly cooperatives in the South Bronx. It takes a great idea and builds a self-sustaining cooperative around it. ReBuilders Source is one such idea, and Gloria is among the members shaping it.

With its living wage, health benefits and vacation time, ReBuilders Source has changed Gloria's life. "I'm no longer on public assistance," she explained. "I am able to provide food and shelter without depending on a subsidy."

Gloria believes in the cooperative model of Green Worker and ReBuilders Source, and cites times throughout history where co-ops assisted those who would otherwise do without. "Cooperatives provide a better means of living for the have-nots — they are set up to have a greater benefit to the worker than conventional businesses. They are a way to provide for your loved ones."

Learn more about Green Worker at www.greenworker.coop.