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Worker Cooperatives

Businesses that are owned and democratically controlled by their workers/employees (called "worker-owners").

October 28, 2024

Community Ownership and Racial Justice in the Cannabis Industry

In this video, our panel of experts in the cooperative cannabis industry discuss challenges and opportunities to expand ownership and give reparations to those impacted by the War on Drugs.

October 24, 2024

Clark Arrington’s Legacy

In his 50-year career as a lawyer full of foundational work for worker cooperatives, agricultural cooperatives and democratic ownership, Arrington helped Southern black farmers’ agricultural cooperatives save their lands, developed a community economic development program in Tanzania and later became involved in the African Development Bank, supported a black construction workers in Los Angeles (APR Masonry Arts), generated capital for U.S. worker cooperative startups, and advised co-op loan funds.

October 17, 2024

Emma, Carlos, and Dalaeja

Chris interviews worker-owners from Wholehearted Bookkeeping Co-op, Sunset Scholars, and Breadfruit Cooperative.

October 7, 2024

Frida Ballard and Damon Etawlyah

Chris interviews two attendees of the 2024 USFWC Conference, Frida Ballard and Damon Etawlyah.

September 30, 2024

An Interview with Yochai Gal of TechCollective

Co-founder of two worker co-ops, Yochai Gal, joins us to talk about his co-op's recent merger with another tech worker cooperative, and how the new co-op incorporated the best of both of the worker co-ops that formed it. Then Yochai shares his (rather critical) thoughts on the trajectory of the USFWC over the last several years, and why he thinks it has largely failed to fulfill it's original goals.

September 16, 2024

Casa Nueva, Phat Daddy's, and New Economy Works

Curious about how worker cooperatives actually work? Watch this Q&A about the nuts and bolts of worker cooperatives with current worker owners and supporters.

September 4, 2024

Regreso a las Bases: Alinear Nuestras Organizaciones Nacionales con los Principios Cooperativos

En 2010, el Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI, por sus siglas en inglés) era un proyecto de la USFWC y aún no se había lanzado como una organización independiente sin fines de lucro, pero McNamara vio el potencial de DAWI para proporcionar una mayor infraestructura crítica para el movimiento.

September 2, 2024

The Social Legitimacy of Recuperated Enterprises in Argentina

The recuperation of enterprises by their workers in Argentina has achieved ample social legitimacy despite its disruptive characteristics. What are the logics that sustain this legitimacy? Does this legitimacy extend to all aspects of the recuperation process, even the most disruptive ones? How do the logics that sustain the legitimacy of the recuperated enterprises interact with the hegemonic values of capitalist society?

August 22, 2024

Remembering the Democracy At Work Network

The Democracy at Work Network was an organization of worker co-op peer advisors that operated successfully for several years, assisting fledgling worker co-ops by offering technical assistance from experienced worker-owners, on a sliding price scale.

August 21, 2024

Reflecting on the Movement: David Rossing

This year is the 20th Anniversary of the formation of the USFWC. To celebrate, GEO is asking cooperators to share their experiences in the US worker cooperative movement over the last two decades (and beyond).