Occupy Wall Street Screen Printers Coop
We are the Occupy Wall Street screen printers coop - spreading the beauty of Occupy Wall Street imagery.
Mission Statement
The Occupy Wall Street Screenprinters Coop was born out of three OWS Screen Guild members who decided to print for the occupation full time. We make prints for free, and accept donations for tees or totes. In this way, we have raised a substantial amount of money and support for the OWS General Fund, as well as service other Occupy groups in need of printing. From our origins at the Zuccotti Park encampment, we have become a mainstay of the occupation, popping up at events with ink and screens to share art. The Cooperative is currently made up of three members who seek to establish a new paradigm in the apparel industry, and our mission is threefold: One: Creating sustainably sourced apparel with a message Our tees and tote bags are organic cotton, most often made from from recycled materials. They are ultra soft and use little to no synthetic dyes. In this way, we seek to call attention to the unjust and unsustainable practices in the apparel industry, and inform our customers that they can choose not to have poor quality sweatshop-made shirts. Our designs are not exclusive or copywritten; rather they have been donated by many members of the Occupy Wall Street community. If you would like to submit an idea, please contact us at [email protected]. Two: Establishing fair labor practices through a cooperative model After six months of volunteer work with the OWS Screen Guild, we realized that our project had the potential to become something very big. The support we recieved from the Occupy community was astounding. In order to work full time on making tees, we set up shop in a donated workspace and began taking custom orders for OWS working groups. Our demand is always increasing, yet we strive to keep our tees and totes affordable to all. As a worker-owned co-op, we are able to keep a horizontal management structure and a fair division of labor. Three: Ensuring affordability to all, with a suggested donation pay structure This is perhaps the most crucial aspect of our project. Occupy Wall Street is a movement of the 99%, made up of people with little to no discretionary income. We want everyone to be able to wear our shirts, regardless of what they are able to pay. For us, solidarity and outreach are infinitely more important than what we have in the bank. For now, if you are unable to meet the suggested donation, please contact us and we will be happy to work out a fair exchange. |
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