Housecleaning co-op members
see income, benefits rise sharply
By Anne Todd
USDA Rural Development
omen’s Action to Gain Economic Security
(WAGES), a nonprofit organization based in
Oakland, Calif., was formed more than 10
years ago to help empower low-income
women, both economically and socially,
through cooperative business ownership. WAGES serves the
greater San Francisco Bay area and specializes in
housecleaning co-ops. Because the majority of housecleaners
in California are Hispanic, WAGES focuses on helping
Hispanic women. With WAGES' support, Latina women are
moving out of poverty and into entrepreneurship.
WAGES was developed by women for women. It is
founded on the cooperative model so that women will pool
their skills and work together to succeed. A co-op is a
business owned and controlled by those who work in it.
Members make decisions democratically by giving each
person a vote and distributing income equitably to all
workers. The co-op business model enables workers to reap
more benefits and have a stronger voice in their workplace.
WAGES incorporated in 1994 and opened its first offices
in 1995. The first business WAGES helped develop was
“Heaven Sent Housecleaning” in Palo Alto. In 1998, the
organization began fostering cleaning co-ops in Silicon Valley
and, by 2000, it had expanded its efforts throughout the
Greater Bay Area.
Today, three WAGES co-ops are thriving: Emma's Eco-Clean in Redwood City, founded in 1999; Eco-Care
Professional Housecleaning in Morgan Hill, founded in
1999; and Natural Home Cleaning in Oakland, founded in
2003.
All of the WAGES-sponsored businesses use an EFC™
(Eco-Friendly Cleaning) method as an integral part of their
operation. EFC is a environmentally friendly housecleaning
system that uses nontoxic, biodegradable cleansers and
reusable cleaning tools. This EFC method protects the health
of owners/workers, their customers and, ultimately, the
environment.
In 2005, WAGES calculated that use of the method by the
three co-ops cumulatively prevented the release of 4,000
pounds of hazardous materials in that year alone. Because of
the success of this system, other organizations — Eco-Bay
Landscaping in Oakland and Eco-Clean in Winnipeg,
Canada — have started green co-ops as well, with assistance
from WAGES.
WAGES has developed criteria to assess business
enterprises before it organizes a new co-op. The business
should provide women with a stable, decent income after a
two-year period, require minimal investment of time on their
part (not more than 100 hours of vocational training), be
financially accessible to them (under $100,000 in
capitalization requirements) and not
harm the environment. WAGES co-ops
receive start-up loans through Lenders
for Community Development in San
Jose, Calif. After three to four years of
WAGES support, the co-ops are
expected to be self-sufficient and
independent.
In the future, WAGES hopes to
expand its consulting work and help
bring its eco-friendly model to
communities in other parts of the
country. The organization also plans to
expand its Northern California Co-op
network by launching new WAGES co-ops.
WAGES has had a significant impact
on the Hispanic women who have taken
part. Records indicate that co-op
members are earning 50 to 100 percent
more than they would working at a
conventional cleaning company. On
average, their household incomes have
increased by 40 percent. As the co-ops
grow, they are also able to provide
health insurance and other benefits for
the worker-owners. These benefits
typically are not available to lowincome
wage earners in conventional
service jobs.
Ana Maria Alvarez, owner-worker at
Natural Home Cleaning, immigrated to
the United States in 2001. Of her
experience she says, “It wasn’t easy
immigrating here, but I met my current
husband and he helped me settle in
Northern California. I worked cleaning
houses and doing other kinds of
domestic work for a Mexican family.”
Regarding WAGES, Alvarez
continues, “Today I feel happy.
WAGES and Natural Home Cleaning
are giving me the opportunity to work
and to own my own business. I hope to
move ahead and to work with others
toward our common and individual
goals. For me, the group experience is
great because you learn to share with
others and you learn things you didn’t
know — often, when I don’t know
something, my partner does.”
To learn more about WAGES, visit
http://www.wagescooperatives.org.
