Worker cooperatives have increasingly drawn attention from the media, policy makers and academics in recent years. Individual cooperatives across the country have been highlighted, and substantive studies have been conducted of the worker cooperative experience in other countries, including Spain, Italy, France, Canada and Argentina. But what do we know about worker cooperatives in the US as a whole? Given the limited data available, the Democracy at Work Institute conducted a national survey of worker cooperative firms to start to answer some basic questions and lay the groundwork for future longitudinal studies. To our knowledge, this is the first nationwide… more

This resource is intended to give small business support organizations a background on how the worker cooperative model can help entrepreneurs reach their dreams. By exposing entrepreneurs to the shared ownership model, and providing access to resources to help them implement it, small business support organizations can expand the benefits of business ownership. Partnering with cooperative support organizations, small business support organizations can provide educational materials and workshops, train worker-owners, and give technical and business support for start-up worker cooperatives. Full Publication more

This research paper summarizes an examination of the National Establishment Time Series (NETS) dataset for North Carolina and Iowa to gauge the potential for conversions of existing businesses to worker cooperatives. The data demonstrate that the potential is quite large, and that even if only a fraction of these successfully converted to worker ownership and continued to operate at their last year levels, there would be meaningful economic impacts. Full Publication. more

Becoming Employee-Owned is a guide for business owners interested in employee ownership. It provides an overview of the three primary transition approaches for employee ownership: worker cooperatives, ESOPs, and management buy-outs. Regardless of what stage the business is in--from expansion to succession planning-- this resource can help business owners understand their options for becoming an employee-owned company. Full Publication. more

The Democracy at Work Institute has created a new fellowship program to support the current and next generation of mid-career worker cooperative development leaders and their organizations to engage with the question of scale. The Institute’s Fellowship Program creates the space and time for cooperative developers to step back and think about their work from this vantage point. For more information about the program, follow this link. Informational webinar and/or screening interview required prior to application. Completed applications are due on January 9th, 5:00 p.m. Pacific. more

A diverse coalition achieves unprecedented support for the worker cooperative movement from the New York City Council On Thursday, June 26th the New York City Council will vote to approve the city's annual budget, which contains a $1.2 million initiative to fund the development of worker cooperatives. This investment – the largest to date by a city government – represents an endorsement of worker cooperatives as a means of creating quality jobs and anchoring businesses in local communities. Melissa Hoover, the executive director of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives and the Democracy at Work Institute stated, “This is a… more

Here's one way to celebrate turning 10 ... Get some coverage in the NY Times Magazine! USFWC and DAWI Executive Director, Melissa Hoover, and USFWC member, The Working World, are interviewed in this well-received article, "Who Needs a Boss?". "Support for full-fledged co-ops has inched into the mainstream as comm u niti es have grown weary of waiting for private investors to create good jobs — or sick of watching them take jobs away... "One perennial criticism of worker co-ops is that they can’t afford the high-flying talent that would help them innovate... “We’re not trying to create an Amazon… more

Interested in the potential for the conversion of conventionally owned businesses into worker cooperatives? The Democracy Collaborative has published an interview with Democracy At Work Institute Executive Director Melissa Hoover on the potential of cooperative conversions, their challenges and the Institute's support for them. Check out the whole interview here. more

On November 21st, 2013 the Democracy at Work Institute and the National Young Farmers Coalition hosted a webinar highlighting just a few of the successful cooperatives building local food systems and creating more sustainable livelihoods for young farmers. You can view the conference presentation and read more about the cooperatives here. Due to the popularity of the webinar the Institute and the NYFC will be hosting an encore presentation in December, 2013 or January, 2014. To be informed of this, and upcoming webinars sign up here. more

Join us November 1 for a webinar explaining our vision for the Institute, our current work and our plans. Space is limited. Please email info@institute.usworker.coop to RSVP. more