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Catalyzing worker co-ops & the solidarity economy

USFWC's 20th Anniversary

July 9, 2024
Collection type
Issue

The US Federation of Worker Cooperatives started life in May of 2004 at the conclusion of a conference in Minneapolis that brought together worker-owners from across the country. This event marks what we might call the beginning of worker cooperativism as a movement in the United States, rather than just a handful of unconnected businesses. GEO played an integral role in the initial conception and organizing of the Federation, so we thought it appropriate to take this opportunity to look back on the last two decades of the USFWC and worker cooperativism generally, to see where we've been and to help us think about where it is that we might want to go from here. Many things have changed in the intervening years, and the articles below consider those changes from many perspectives: of worker-owners, co-op developers, public servants, and scholars of cooperativism. The 'Reflections' section contains responses from cooperators that to a short survey we circulated asking for their thoughts on the development and current trajectory of the worker co-op movement (you can add your response here).

Articles

The US Worker Cooperative Movement Turns 20 - GEO Collective

From “An Economy of Hope” to the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives - Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard

2024 Reflections from John McNamara, Ph.D. - John McNamara

Technology Cooperatives In The Movement - Where Are We Now? - Micky Metts, Keegan Rankin, & Benjamin Melançon

Dystopia Nepal Express - John Curl

If this Is Us at 20, What Could We Be at 40? - Michael Johnson

Celebrating 20 Years of the Worker Cooperative Movement - Margaret M. Bau

The Union Co-ops Council: Seventeen Years of Forging Worker Alliances - Dylan Hatch

Back to Basics: Aligning Our National Organizations with Co-op Principles - Rebecca Kemble


Reflecting on the Movement

Brian Donovan

Rebecca Lurie

Kirk Vartan

Yochai Gal

Kate "Sassy" Sassoon

Jeffrey Brite

Christopher Andrew DeAngelis

Ariana R. Levinson

David Rossing


Videos

20 Years of the USFWC (with Jessica Gordon-Nembhard)

Remembering the Democracy at Work Network (DAWN)

Why We Need Local and National Co-op Networks

Is there a Worker Co-op Movement in the US?