The net proceeds or savings of a cooperative shall be apportioned, distributed and paid periodically to the persons entitled to receive them at the times and in the reasonable manner as the bylaws provide. However, net proceeds or savings on patronage of the cooperative by its members shall be apportioned and distributed among these members in accordance with the ratio which each member‘s patronage during the period involved bears to total patronage by all members during that period. The bylaws may contain reasonable provisions for the apportionment and charging of net losses. For the purposes of this section work performed as a member of a workers’ cooperative is considered as patronage of that cooperative.