Cristobal and Emma were working for a nonprofit in Cleveland, Ohio, when a friend vented that they had a huge estimate for a damaged sewer: they were going to be charged over $12,000 for something Cristobal realized they could do in a few days, for a fraction of the cost. Cristobal offered to help, and was able to do the work of the initial estimate and find that the problems were much more extensive than originally estimated. With the help of people from our community volunteering to dig, we fixed their sewer line and cleaned their basement.

This experience showed us that companies were over-charging people, and that Cristobal had the skills to help people with plumbing and other repairs. Cristobal knew from previous experience of running a company in California that they would need help with paperwork and recruited Emma into the newly formed project.

People’s Plumbing is a worker cooperative, which means that we are owned and operated by employees. We make the decisions that impact our daily lives and share the profits of our work.

By using the worker co-op model, we hope to serve as an example of what a liberatory workplace can look like and end the unjust practices of CEO’s receiving 1,000 times (or more) the salary of waged workers.

HOW WE OPERATE

Decision Making

We have a combination of role decision making and voting on things. For example, Cristobal can decide what tools they bring with them to a call and Emma got to decide which website builder we use. Some decisions are routine and can just be made by the person in that role. Other decisions impact everyone at People’s Plumbing and are made by all of us.

As we expand our team, all workers will have some decision making ability based on their role and be able to vote on some issues. All worker-owners will have equal voting rights.

Hours

Full-time work starts at 25 hours per week. We hope that, eventually, 25-30 hours a week will be enough to sustain ourselves and that we can use that extra time to be with our friends and families and organize in our communities for a better, more democratic world. We already each spend 1-2 days a week with other community engagement projects.

Profit Sharing

Profit sharing will be a benefit for all workers whether or not they are worker-owners. It will be based on number of hours worked.

Pay and Benefits

We aim to pay a living wage of $26 per hour and provide healthcare and other benefits. For the first several months of starting the co-op, we decided to be paid $18 per hour with no benefits. Two years in, we still are paying $18/hour, and providing medical benefits to workers. Your financial contributions directly help us get closer to our financial goals.

FINANCIAL

We are committed to publishing our earnings and expenses on our website. You can find them here. Financial transparency is important to us because it helps you make more informed decisions. It also allows you to see what we can accomplish when we come together.

OUR STRUCTURE

We share information on how we organize ourselves and operate. This includes this About page, as well as our upcoming presentation and video. Stay tuned!

LICENSING

Cristobal was a licensed plumber in California for years, but is not licensed in Ohio. This means we cannot pull permits or perform official inspections. However, we are still able to legally perform most jobs and have the technical skills to do so.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Our Gift Economics page and zine outline what to expect when you reach out and access services. We always encourage you to reach out to us directly and have a conversation!