Resource Library

.

.

This is an exciting time to be engaged with worker cooperatives. The worker cooperative model has stood the test of time; its foundations have been in place since 1844, when the Rochdale Pioneers developed their creative response to the suffering of displaced workers during the Industrial Revolution. Since 2008, the Great Recession has inspired more and more workers, advocates, and community developers to bring their creativity and energy to the next generation of the cooperative movement, fueling an explosion of co-op-related discussion and initiatives.

• Business Readiness Factors: Help businesses figure out how ready they are, and how they can set themselves up for a smoother and more successful transition to worker ownership
• Motivations: Core reasons that business owners and employees decide to convert to a worker coop
• Typology of Conversions: Four different types of worker coop conversions based on the situation of the owners and its employees
• Case Studies: A dozen case studies of businesses that have converted to worker cooperatives