Chapter 1 — General Provisions

GEN-01 Name

This organization is named CoAssembly Design Co-op (hereinafter “the Co-op”).

GEN-02 Purpose

The Co-op applies cooperative principles as the organizational method for collective work, establishing sustainable, transparent, and equitable mechanisms for design labor and resource distribution — advancing collective production and social responsibility through sharing, mutual aid, and mutual flourishing.

GEN-03 Core Principles

The Co-op’s operations and governance follow these core principles:

Redistribution

Income, resources, and opportunities circulate within the collective to reduce inequality and build stable working conditions.

Shared Governance

Members are simultaneously worker-owners and co-owners; power is held and exercised collectively.

Shared Responsibility

Projects are taken on by the Co-op; risk, pressure, and responsibility are borne collectively.

Fair Labor

Minimum acceptable quotes and working conditions are established; pricing, hours, and distribution are made as transparent as possible.

Sustainability & Shared Knowledge

Without harming collaborators or privacy, we accumulate knowledge and resources usable by the broader community.

Member Economic Participation

Surplus supports sustainability, shared assets, and education; returns to members are based on labor contributions, not capital invested.

Education & Capacity Building

Resources are invested in member education, training, and knowledge renewal to ensure organizational sustainability.

Community Care

Within our capacity, we invest in public benefit, mutual aid, and community contribution to expand the social scale of redistribution.

GEN-04 Legal Form & Cooperative Operations

Why a corporation?

Taiwan currently has no dedicated statute for worker cooperatives. The Co-op adopts the corporate form to:

• Comply with current legal requirements (Company Act, tax law, labor law)
• Maintain flexibility and operability as a legal entity
• Still practice cooperative principles and governance internally

1. The Co-op is a private limited company (non-listed, non-publicly issued) registered in Taiwan, operating in compliance with the Company Act and relevant tax and labor regulations.
2. Although organized as a corporation, internal governance and distribution follow cooperative practices (shared governance, transparency, one member one vote, labor-contribution-based returns).
3. The Co-op does not publicly issue shares; shares circulate only among members and may not be used as investment instruments or means of capital appreciation.
4. The Co-op explicitly regulates governance structure, financial management, and member rights and obligations in its bylaws to ensure cooperative principles are practiced in legal compliance.
5. All shareholders are Co-op workers; all workers are Co-op shareholders. The associate worker-owner training period is the explicit exception (see MEM-04).

GEN-05 Document Hierarchy

1. These bylaws are the Co-op’s highest internal rules.
2. The Co-op may establish supplementary rules to specify implementation (forms, templates, operating procedures, checklists).
3. Supplementary rules may not contradict these bylaws; in case of conflict, these bylaws take precedence.

Regulations take priority

If any content conflicts with mandatory law (e.g. Labor Standards Act) or these bylaws, mandatory law takes precedence. The Co-op shall use a General Assembly resolution to propose alignment/amendment.