Part 1 of of this post introduced the Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab’s First Annual High Road Policy Summit by defining what a “High Road” society is and how it contrasts with the status quo. In the three videos that follow, which correspond to the High Road Summit’s three sessions, panelists discuss concrete strategies for moving from what we have (the “Low Road” status quo) toward what we envision (a “High Road” society and economy that works for all).

Session 1: Building Institutions for Racial Equity

Between the disparate and devastating impacts of COVID-19 and snowballing cases of police violence against unarmed persons of color, people throughout the United States and across the globe are mobilizing for racial and social justice in larger numbers than at any point since the 1960s. These mass mobilizations are increasing public attention to structural and institutional sources of persistent forms of inequalities. The result is a growing demand for new or substantially transformed institutions that can proactively identify and begin to eliminate inequality in society. In this session, participants will hear a conversation between Lean Halton-Pope, Senior Adviser to New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, and Dr. Courtney McCluney, Cornell ILR School Assistant Professor, on opportunities for meeting these demands in New York State, from empowering marginalized voices in workplaces to building a new office for racial equity and social justice in New York State.

Session 2: Fighting Low Road Economic Development

In the current era of intense political polarization, there is little common ground among legislators on how to fix issues related to economic inequality. One possible exception to this observation lies in the realm of corporate giveaways and targeted economic development subsidies. In just the past few years, researchers, advocates, and policymakers across political and ideological spectrums have made cases and introduced legislation calling on governments at all levels to stop spending public dollars to lure “Low Road” corporations into their jurisdictions. While some argue that targeted economic development subsidies should be eliminated altogether, others note that subsidies should only go to “High Road” firms that commit to creating quality jobs that pay family-sustaining wages, offer generous benefits, and are available to local residents – especially residents from marginalized population subgroups. In this session, Dania Rajendra, Director of Athena and frequent speaker on racism, antisemitism, and economic (in)justice, engages in a discussion with New York State Assembly Member Ron Kim, who is actively attempting to transform statewide economic development law and is one of the leading voices for economic democracy in New York State government.

Session 3: Supporting Worker-Owned and Worker-Controlled Enterprises

Increasing examples of the positive feedbacks between worker ownership, democratic worker control of workplaces, and wealth-building – especially for low-income workers and workers of color – are leading many cities from across the world to support cooperative development as a strategy for fighting economic inequality. In this session, local and state lawmakers from Western New York who have passed initiatives to promote worker ownership engage in conversation with an expert cooperative developer and an attorney with vast experience helping new worker cooperatives establish themselves as legal entities. The discussion explores the benefits of worker ownership and control, the unique challenges involved in creating worker-owned, worker-controlled firms, and potential public policies and mechanisms for bringing democratic economic enterprises to scale at local, state, and national levels. The four panelists are:

• Jonathan Johnsen, Attorney at Creighton, Johnsen & Giroux
• Sean M. Ryan, New York State Senator
• David Rivera, Buffalo Common Council Member
• Andrew Delmonte, Director of Cooperation Buffalo