We are a cooperatively-owned social business.
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TeamWorks Cleaning was founded in 2004 by David Smathers Moore and formally adopted a shared ownership model in 2006 when David, Adriana Sanchez, and Bianca Sanchez became the founding partners. Bianca and Adriana are still at TeamWorks today -- along with many other worker-owners! The co-op is 100% women-, Latinx-, and immigrant-owned and self-managed!
Everyone at TeamWorks Cleaning is a member-owner. We continually challenge ourselves to learn new skills that support broad participation in running the business. We are able to provide ourselves with fair pay, health insurance, disability insurance, paid time off, year-end profit sharing, and a community that supports our learning as people and professionals. We are also active in the international cooperative movement and other efforts to advance democratic values and social justice in our society. |
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EDUCATION NEVER ENDS. Members like Paola Rivera (above foreground) regularly participate in workshops covering topics ranging from mindfulness, effective communications, computer skills, and finance.
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A SEAT AT THE TABLE. In addition to daily operational discussions and bi-weekly workshops, we hold monthly governance meetings (above) at which we discuss and establish the cooperative's policies.
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Built for Resilience: A Case Study
Being a worker-owned cooperative gives TeamWorks unique strengths. The pandemic in 2020 provides a powerful example. The story begins with strong foundations: longtime investments such as providing health insurance to every house cleaner member going back to 2006, paid time off, disability insurance, and a commitment to investing in worker education gave the co-op a headstart over comparable businesses when heading into uncertain times.
Ahead of the Curve
By the time that authorities were beginning to mandate steps to combat COVID-19 in mid-March, 2020, TeamWorks’ had already been communicating for weeks with clients about the developing situation and was holding trainings to educate our worker-members. We had also developed a plan for the full suspension of cleaning operations, which we implemented on March 17 and maintained through June 8, 2020. As we prepared to reopen we published a bilingual manual for clients and workers, Facing the Challenge, so that everyone was on the same page about protocols and expectations.
By the time that authorities were beginning to mandate steps to combat COVID-19 in mid-March, 2020, TeamWorks’ had already been communicating for weeks with clients about the developing situation and was holding trainings to educate our worker-members. We had also developed a plan for the full suspension of cleaning operations, which we implemented on March 17 and maintained through June 8, 2020. As we prepared to reopen we published a bilingual manual for clients and workers, Facing the Challenge, so that everyone was on the same page about protocols and expectations.
Partnerships for Economic Stability
We are deeply grateful that TeamWorks clients were concerned about the financial stability of their house cleaners during the worst months of the pandemic. Many offered to continue paying during the suspension of operations even though we could not provide cleaning services.
Funds donated were used by the co-op to provide stipends to members who participated in an intensive online education program. Donations and a grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to support these efforts also helped us to maintain members' health insurance coverage throughout the crisis.
We are deeply grateful that TeamWorks clients were concerned about the financial stability of their house cleaners during the worst months of the pandemic. Many offered to continue paying during the suspension of operations even though we could not provide cleaning services.
Funds donated were used by the co-op to provide stipends to members who participated in an intensive online education program. Donations and a grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to support these efforts also helped us to maintain members' health insurance coverage throughout the crisis.
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Silver Lining:
Transformative Member Education Since members were unable to go to work during the months of mandated "shelter-in-place", we figured this was an opportunity to double down on the co-op's longstanding commitment to education. Every member already had a chromebook and some basic familiarity with how to use it. But we had not learned how to run virtual meetings. So the first focus of the Quarantine Education Program was getting to the point where everyone could successfully connect to and participate effectively in online meetings. 
TeamWorks members have become skilled at running engaging and effective online meetings.
Ivette worked intensively with the Committee leaders one-on-one and in small groups.. These leaders learned everything they needed to run a committee, plus the added skills required to do so completely online. Leaders negotiated agreements about when meetings would happen, ground rules, developed agendas, and learned to facilitate group decision-making, and the implementation and accountability for projects.
This Quarantine Education Program required participants to commit to a minimum of seven hours weekly (spent on a combination of formal classes, “homework”, committee meetings, and projects). At the end of the three-month quarantine period, Ivette organized an online graduation for the members who completed the program. Most members have had very limited access to formal education in the past -- many did not have the opportunity to continue past the elementary or middle school level when they were children. So it was a very significant and emotional event to recognize the learning that members accomplished. |
Use of Donated Funds
Member Support: 90% Member Stipends: 73% Health and Disability Insurance: 17% Co-op overhead: 5% (office rent , liability insurance, etc.) Save for long crisis: 5% This required extensive work one-on-one by phone with co-op members to insure that each member had a reliable internet connection at home.Then as the members got to the point where everyone could connect to an online meeting, the training focused on developing the agreements and skills needed to run effective meetings and make decisions as a group. These practices and skills drew on Sociocracy, a method for engaging groups in shared decision making.
An outside trainer, Ivette Melendez, was contracted to lead the intensive training program during the quarantine. At first she taught workshops directly but she shifted to coaching members to lead meetings and trainings themselves. She identified several members who became leaders of two committees, one with a focus on Well Being and the other on Entrepreneurial Development. The committees researched and led workshops on topics ranging from stress management and to managing personal finances. 
Coach and trainer Ivette Melendez (left foreground in white) with members at a co-op celebration (Fall, 2019 -- pre-COVID-19).
The most exciting part of this program is its lasting impacts. Long after the pandemic has passed into distant memory, members continue to hold regular online meetings and workshops in addition to in-person meetings. They are organizing these events themselves without Ivette's help. The level of participation by co-op members is much higher than before the pandemic.
These case study is a powerful example of how solidarity is practical. The co-op's structure, values, and practices allowed TeamWorks to become stronger during a challenging time without the job losses, and in some cases complete business closure, that many small businesses experienced in 2020. |
