In his State of the Union address, Barack Obama called on politicians and America to get behind his vision for the next two years while he’s in power at the White House.

Here, Co-operative News breaks down five points where co-operatives can show their difference . . .

Caring for employees

In his speech, Obama called on business and Congress to improve the lives of workers. He believes people deserve a much higher, and equal, living wage, as well as childcare and sickness benefits.

“In today’s economy, when having both parents in the workforce is an economic necessity for many families, we need affordable, high-quality childcare more than ever,” he said.

And added: “Today, we’re the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. Forty-three million workers have no paid sick leave. Forty-three million. Think about that. And that forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home. So I’ll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own.”

Many co-operatives pay a true living wage for their members/employees. It’s time for co-ops to use this to their advantage and show how they are better places to work. One such co-op is GreenStar Natural Foods Market, which last year celebrated its 10th anniversary of pay a living wage. It was one of the first in New York state to pay this, and today the entry level is $11.80/hour – the state and federal minimum age is $7.25.

Equality

Co-operatives are all about equality, and free speech. And as well as calling for wages to be equal between sexes (“It’s 2015. It’s time”), Obama said Americans “defend free speech” and “condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. We do these things not only because they’re right, but because they make us safer.”

We needn’t look far across the co-op sector to find examples of equality in practice, from women-owned co-operatives through to LGBT co-ops the sector is a strong provider of a safe working place.

Energy generation

Energy is a big deal, especially being self-sufficient. Obama said: “America is number one in oil and gas. America is number one in wind power. Every three weeks, we bring online as much solar power as we did in all of 2008.”

But how much of this renewable energy is community (or co-operative) -owned? While electrical co-ops are installing many projects, there are many opportunities, especially in urban areas, for communities to come together and produce their own power. Take a look at what’s happening in Europe

Paying the tax

“For far too long, lobbyists have rigged the tax code with loopholes that let some corporations pay nothing while others pay full freight,” says Obama. “This year, we have an opportunity to change that. Let’s close loopholes so we stop rewarding companies that keep profits abroad, and reward those that invest in America.”

Co-operatives are proponents of social justice and those organisations that fairly pay taxes, especially when competitors do not, should shout about it. While exemptions do exist for electric co-ops and credit unions, inspiration for such a ‘co-op difference’ campaign can be taken from the Fair Tax Mark in the UK (established by co-ops): www.fairtaxmark.net

Co-operation among co-operatives

“21st century businesses, including small businesses, need to sell more American products overseas. Today, our businesses export more than ever, and exporters tend to pay their workers higher wages,” said Obama.

There is no better model than co-operatives that can succeed in areas such as this. Co-operation among co-operatives is one of the seven co-op principles, and already this is in practice. From food co-ops buying products from smallholder co-operative farmers within Fairtrade structures through to the global trading activities of CHS and Land O’ Lakes.

• How else can co-ops contribute to America? Comment below…