Building Economic Democracy One Worker Co-op at a Time

A worker cooperative is a business that is owned and democratically governed by the people who work in it.

Own the Change, a 22 minute, free documentary produced by TESA Collective and the Laura Flanders Show, is a guide to starting worker co-ops. The video lays out the the real-world challenges of launching a co-op and the transformative benefits co-ops offer to workers. It includes interviews with people who have launched their own co-ops.



Available since 2015, Own the Change has been watched nearly 35,000 times on YouTube, and has been screened in community centers and at organizing events around the country. There is also an accompanying education guide.

TESA collaborates with organizations to develop educational projects big or small from start to finish, and to improve existing programs, tools and curricula. The group can build custom games for a campaign, organization or company, merging cause with play. In addition to making games and programs for others, they design and produce their own games, including Rise up: The Game of People & Power, Co-opoly: The Game of Co-operatives, Loud & Proud: A Fast-Paced Social Justice Word Association Game, and Space Cats Fight Fascism: The Board Game.

Extra credit:
✓ What Is a Worker Cooperative? (Democracy At Work Institute/US Federation of Worker Cooperatives)
✓ When maximizing profits isn’t the only goal, companies can actually work better: Worker Cooperatives Are More Productive Than Normal Companies by Michelle Chen (The Nation)
✓ With new tools and political policies now in place to support them, there could be a boom in employee-owned business ahead as baby boomers retire and sell their companies to their workers: More U.S. businesses are becoming worker co-ops. Here’s why. by Eillie Anzilotti (FastCompany)
✓ Getting Rid of Bosses: Can a company succeed if no one is in charge? by Alana Semuels (The Atlantic)
✓ Why are we told a broken system that creates vast inequality is the only choice? Spain's amazing co-op is living proof otherwise: Yes, there is an alternative to capitalism. Mondragon shows the way Richard Wolff (The Guardian)

Resource: Workers' Cooperatives

Cooperatives: A Tool for Community Economic Development, a manual produced by The University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of cooperatives: what they are, how they work, and how to start one. It includes numerous examples of co-ops in Wisconsin and other states that are successfully meeting the needs of their members and their communities.

Resources:
The University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives
Other academic centers that focus on cooperatives include The Ohio Employee Ownership Center at Kent State and Southern New Hampshire University's Community Economic Development Department
American Worker Cooperative: an inventory of people, organizations, writings, media, and tools
U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
Regional federations and support organizations in the Bay Area, Madison, the Pioneer Valley,  Austin, and New York City
The Canadian Worker Cooperative Federation
The Workers' Paradise blog
Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives' worker cooperative resources
CooperationWorks!, a national organization of cooperative development centers and practitioners

Clip File: Pleasant way to go solar - neighborhood cooperatives

Scientific American's George Musser chronicles his experiences installing solar panels on his home in cooperation with his neighbors and taking other steps to save energy in 60-Second Solar.