[Verse 1] In the Basque country there's a story to tell Eighty thousand worker-owners doing so well Mondragon Corporation, sixty years strong Manufacturing, retail, finance - they've proven us wrong No massive layoffs when the markets decline They vote to share hours, keep everyone in line Compensation equity that big corps can't match When workers own the business, success they can catch [Chorus] Scale it up, scale it up, these examples prove Traditional HR has got to move Mondragon, REI, and Cooperative Care Show us what happens when ownership's shared Scale it up, scale it up, the future is bright When workers have power and governance rights [Verse 2] REI in America, sixteen thousand employed Customer-owned model that can't be destroyed Not worker-owned but the governance way Changes how people relate every day Different relationship, different feel When members matter, the connection's real Retail revolution hiding in plain sight Cooperative principles making it right [Chorus] Scale it up, scale it up, these examples prove Traditional HR has got to move Mondragon, REI, and Cooperative Care Show us what happens when ownership's shared Scale it up, scale it up, the future is bright When workers have power and governance rights [Bridge] Two thousand worker-owners in home healthcare Cooperative Home Care Associates with benefits to spare Higher wages, better life, turnover's low When you own your workplace, that's how you grow From Spain to Seattle to New York's streets The cooperative model can't be beat [Verse 3] These aren't small experiments, these are real scale Tens of thousands proving the old model's stale Through recessions and booms, they've survived and thrived While HR departments have barely stayed alive The paradigm's shifting, the evidence is clear Worker ownership is the future that's here [Chorus] Scale it up, scale it up, these examples prove Traditional HR has got to move Mondragon, REI, and Cooperative Care Show us what happens when ownership's shared Scale it up, scale it up, the future is bright When workers have power and governance rights [Outro] From two thousand to eighty thousand strong These cooperatives prove HR's been wrong Scale it up, scale it up, the proof is here Worker ownership's future is crystal clear
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