Free Film Screening of Documentary: Shift Change

With the long decline in US manufacturing and today's economic crisis, millions have been thrown out of work, and many have lost their homes. The usual solutions to our economic problems are not working. Some citizens and public officials are ready to think "outside the box" and reinvent our failing economy in order to restore long-term community stability and a more egalitarian way of life. There is growing interest in firms that are owned and managed by their workers. Such firms tend to be more profitable and innovative, and more committed to the communities where they are based. Yet the public has little knowledge of their success, and the promise they offer for a better life. 

On Friday, February 28 at 7pm, the Unitarian Church of Sharon will be screening a documentary called Shift Change. This film by veteran filmmakers Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin tells the little known stories of employee-owned businesses, including Equal Exchange in West Bridgewater, MA, that compete in today's economy while providing secure, dignified jobs in democratic workplaces.

Rink Dickinson, co-founder and CEO of Equal Exchange, along with Susan Sklar, Equal Exchange’s Interfaith and Community Sales Manager, and Stacey Cordeiro, a co-op organizer from Boston Center for Community Ownership, will be on hand for the discussion following. For more information about the film, please visit www.shiftchange.org

The screening is sponsored by the Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Church of Sharon (UCS). UCS is a progressive faith community striving to reach out to the world, in all of its beauty, with open minds and open hearts. The Social Justice Committee of the UCS creates energy for social action by offering opportunities for action and education to foster the ethical and spiritual growth of people of all ages; strengthen our community; and create a culture of activism to make the world a better place. For more information about UCS, please visit www.uusharon.org