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?