[Verse 1]
In traditional companies there's a divide
Workers on one side, owners on the other side
HR sits between them with a painful task
Serve two masters when interests clash
But what if workers owned the company store?
What if democracy lived on the factory floor?
[Chorus]
When workers govern the organization
No more HR contradiction
Member-owners with voting rights
Democratic decisions, cooperative lights
No separate interests pulling apart
Worker governance, that's where we start
[Verse 2]
Teams hire new members, stake in the game
Working together, sharing profit and name
Compensation's transparent, ratios are fair
Three to one or six to one, decisions we share
Performance means peer accountability
Your coworkers are your co-owners, you see
[Chorus]
When workers govern the organization
No more HR contradiction
Member-owners with voting rights
Democratic decisions, cooperative lights
No separate interests pulling apart
Worker governance, that's where we start
[Bridge]
Mondragon showed us the cooperative way
Elected boards where members have their say
Management serves at the pleasure of all
No employer-employee wall
Conflicts resolved by committees we choose
When everyone's an owner, everybody wins, nobody loses
[Verse 3]
Compliance handled by professional staff
But no ideological weight makes us laugh
The contradictions that plague HR's game
Disappear when ownership patterns change
From hiring to firing to compensation plans
Power in the workers' hands
[Chorus]
When workers govern the organization
No more HR contradiction
Member-owners with voting rights
Democratic decisions, cooperative lights
No separate interests pulling apart
Worker governance, that's where we start
[Outro]
Worker governance, that's where we start
Cooperative future, democratic heart