Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union in New York City recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. The institution is owned by the people it serves and has supported many of the housing cooperatives in the area. Profits are reinvested, lowering fees and interest rates on loans.

The Community Organizer’s Community Development Credit Union - PopularResistance.Org

Although you can find $8 matcha lattes and $25 cocktails there today, Manhattan’s Lower East Side remains a neighborhood covered in both public housing and limited-equity housing cooperatives. Those buildings are home to thousands of low-income residents — largely Hispanic or Asian, often immigrants — who have been quietly investing in their own vision of the neighborhood for decades. On a warm, muggy Saturday earlier this month, outside the headquarters of the Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union on East 3rd Street, those residents gathered for a block party.

popularresistance.org

There is evidence that individuals who work in worker cooperatives demonstrate higher levels of activism, volunteerism, and community involvement than demographically similar employees within traditional business structures.

Civic Engagement at Work (SSIR)

A study of worker-owned cooperatives demonstrates how people see their civic engagement, whether in the workplace or out in the world, as one and the same activity.

ssir.org

What if union membership tripled? It would deliver a 14.5% raise for the median worker. It would shift $1.2 trillion to workers annually. It would significantly narrow racial wage gaps. It would increase the number of people with health insurance. This is the power of economic democracy.

The case for tripling union membership: How rebuilding union power would strengthen workers, the economy, and our democracy

Foreword Imagine union membership tripling in the United States. It may sound radical—if you’ve forgotten history. In fact, more than 1 in 3 private-sector workers belonged to a union in the 1950s. Th...

epi.org

What if union membership tripled? It would deliver a 14.5% raise for the median worker. It would shift $1.2 trillion to workers annually. It would significantly narrow racial wage gaps. It would increase the number of people with health insurance. This is the power of economic democracy.

The case for tripling union membership: How rebuilding union power would strengthen workers, the economy, and our democracy

Foreword Imagine union membership tripling in the United States. It may sound radical—if you’ve forgotten history. In fact, more than 1 in 3 private-sector workers belonged to a union in the 1950s. Th...

epi.org

I apologize for opening Bluesky just to copy-and-paste a LinkedIn post, but here goes: As part of @defector.com's grant work with Start.coop, we're co-sponsoring a 12-week accelerator program for emerging journalist-led/worker-friendly media companies. www.start.coop/accelerator

Start.coop | Empower Cooperative Growth

Discover resources and support to build and grow cooperatively-owned businesses, fostering community wealth-building and economic stability.

start.coop

After Microsoft fired 136 of id Software's 185 staffers (+ over 3000 other Xbox jobs), producer Andrew Willis is saying worker-owned studios are "the only way to fix the video game industry"! As one such worker-owned studio, we couldn't agree more! www.gamesradar.com/games/after-...

After "incomprehensible" Xbox layoffs, id Software producer says worker-owned studios are "the only path forward"

Microsoft is planning 3,200 layoffs total

gamesradar.com

Solar cooperatives are helping Americans save on energy costs. One person reported that after joining a solar co-op, she now only pays $5 a month instead of $300 on energy bills during the summer. These co-ops leverage collective purchasing power to make costs more affordable.

How solar energy co-ops can cut costs for Arizona homeowners

After federal tax credits for renewable projects expired, joining a solar co-op is one way to save on residential solar.

azcentral.com

Thank you to the cooperatives, unions and support organizations sponsoring the 2026 Worker Co-op Conference #WCC26 ! @steelworkers.bsky.social Join us in Boston, MA from September 25-26 the largest worker cooperative convening in the country: wcc26.usworker.coop #WorkerCoops #WorkerOwnership

[ Special Edition! ] Cooperate, or Perish Join us as we discuss what makes Manzanita Interactive different as a worker-owned and operated cooperative game studio. store.steampowered.com/news/app/358... #gamedev

Dandelion Void - Cooperate, or Perish - Steam News

Today's post is an extra entry in between our normal two week devlog schedule, contrasting how we make games with wider industry practices.

store.steampowered.com

Songtradr has fired all the engineers at Bandcamp and while they say they are focusing resources on that beloved platform, we don’t know what is going to happen. I am worried. Now is the time to support member-owned cooperative music distribution platforms like @Subvert.fm

In an industry plagued by low wages and high turnover, this childcare company is trying something different. “Whatever your position is here,” said Tijuana Jackson, a lead teacher, “because we’re an employee-owned company, you also have a voice in the direction of the company. That’s what I love.”

This Childcare Program Is 100% Employee-Owned. Will It Help Retain Workers?

At Imagine Early Learning Centers, all staff own a portion of the company. Could this model be part of a solution to retaining childcare providers?

the74million.org

A meta-analysis of 56 studies finds that profit sharing is positively related with productivity on average. This relationship is evidently six times stronger for cooperatives (0.253) than for non-cooperative firms (0.043). The relationship is also stronger where unionisation is higher.

Studies indicate that worker ownership is generally linked to better productivity, pay, job stability, and firm survival. Worker ownership also supports a more sustainable distribution of wealth, with the potential to significantly decrease inequality. wol.iza.org/articles/doe...

The LGBTQ+ community is a powerful force in the democratic economy and should be recognized. They are forging a more inclusive and livable economy for their communities, contributing to a system that works for working people. In a 2025 report, 42% of worker co-ops identified as being LGBTQ+-led.

The Cooperative Economy@cooperatives.bsky.social · 6mo ago

@usworker.coop's State of the Sector reports on the democratic and worker-owned economy in 2025. The report showcases a prevalence of diversity and inclusivity in the workforce and in leadership. Workplace democracy is actively empowering the marginalized with a voice in our economy.

Taxing billionaires alone does not abolish the system that allows them to exist. The economic structures that concentrate wealth and power remain intact. The implementation of a democratic economic system—one where becoming a billionaire is structurally impossible—is absolutely necessary.

Marginalized communities often turn to cooperative economics to resist the system that prioritizes profit for the few. Throughout U.S. history, Black communities have established cooperatives, worker-owned enterprises, and mutual aid networks as a means of pursuing economic self-determination.

A Brief History of Black Cooperatives in the United States — Civil Rights Teaching

Interview of Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard By Mira Luna For as long as there have been Africans in America, there have been examples of Black social, cultural and economic solidarity. Often formed in ...

civilrightsteaching.org

Canada has recently made its tax incentive for employee ownership trusts permanent. This supports the creation of worker-owned businesses in the country and contributes to an economic system where wealth stays with the workers and their communities rather than extracted by billionaires.

Permanent EOT legislation providing incentive for employers, supporting wealth distribution: expert | Benefits Canada.com

The federal government’s recent announcement that it will make the employee ownership trust tax exemption permanent is a major incentive for employers to transition their businesses to employee owners...

benefitscanada.com

Capital does not disappear or become inert when billionaires don't own it. Capital can be owned by workers, communities, and the public. Capital can be utilized, directed, and invested democratically. This is rooted in what is called economic democracy.

Cooperatives and labor unions can work together to form a more democratic economy. Abundance Food Co-op (Rochester, New York) is a unionized community-owned cooperative. It's a business where both the community and the workers have a voice.

Abundance Food Co-op Ratifies First Union Contract

“Cooperatives exist to serve our community, and the workers are a part of our community.'

foodtank.com

Worker-owned cooperatives prove that the people can own the economy, making society more equitable, inclusive, and free for everyone. Support worker co-ops: www.usworker.coop/directory/

Red Emma’s@redemmas.org · 3mo ago

We are a worker cooperative. That means that our workers make all the decisions about what happens in our workplace, not bosses, investors, or oligarchic billionaire overlords. A democratic economy is possible — we’ve been showing how it’s done for over two decades.

We’re live. Two years ago, we released a plan. Today, our collectively owned music platform is open. Explore. Support artists directly. Join the co-op. It’s only the beginning. Sincerely Ours, Subvert

This is the co-op's website: www.wasatch.coop Cooperatives are more resilient than traditional companies, in and out of a recession. Supporting co-ops strengthens democracy and fosters an economy where wealth and power are shared.

Wasatch Food Co-op | SLC's first member-owned grocery store | 416 East 900 South, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

Wasatch Food Co-op is your local, member owned cooperative grocery store serving community members. We are currently under construction and aiming to open our doors in Fall 2025.

wasatch.coop

The Cooperative Economy@cooperatives.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Salt Lake City's first cooperative grocery store opens May 20. The grocery is owned by the community it serves, which means profits are to be reinvested to make prices more affordable for those who shop there. It also means the community democratically elects the board members of the co-op.

Salt Lake City's first cooperative grocery store opens May 20. The grocery is owned by the community it serves, which means profits are to be reinvested to make prices more affordable for those who shop there. It also means the community democratically elects the board members of the co-op.

Salt Lake City’s 1st Co-op Grocery Store Prepares to Open

National Co+op Grocers also adds 2 new members

progressivegrocer.com

Cooperatives in Palestine have a long history of promoting socio-economic development. In Palestine, co-ops are involved in water distribution, agriculture, housing, electricity, and more. The conflict with Israel has resulted in substantial damage to many of the cooperatives. #FreePalestine

The Importance of Cooperatives in Palestine - Anera

Palestinian cooperatives have a long history and take many forms. Agricultural coops are the most common, including beekeeping, livestock and irrigation.

anera.org

"Billionaires are necessary for job creation" is a lie. Worker-owned businesses employ tens of millions of people. They offer better compensation to employees and protect jobs better in and out of recessions compared to traditional companies.

Support businesses that are directly owned by the people who work in them. Worker co-ops empower workers with ownership and democratic control, and the profits go to them. #MayDay #LabourDay #InternationalWorkersDay

If 30% of all businesses were worker-owned, the net wealth of Black households would more than *quadruple* from $24k to over $106k. Black households have roughly 15 cents for every dollar in wealth that white households have. Worker ownership can help address the gap.

Employee ownership can be a ‘powerful’ tool to close the wealth gap | Institute for Business in Global Society

While many solutions focus on government policy, some experts point to a business solution.

hbs.edu

@weareravenous.com is a worker co-op!

Ravenous@weareravenous.com · 3mo ago

There are 9 days left to help support the future of food journalism. If you believe in the Ravenous mission, please subscribe today and keep spreading the word. www.weareravenous.com

In some businesses, the employees have the power to elect their managers, they have a say in what they're paid, and they earn a share of the profits. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone had the choice of working in such businesses?

The owner of this business decided to transition it into a worker-owned cooperative. Now, rather than the profits only going to him, the workers receive a share of the profits on top of their wages. They also get a say in business operations.

Shaw Solar shifts to employee-owned co-op model

After 20 years of traditional ownership, John Shaw of Shaw Solar made the switch to an employee-owned co-op model in March. Fourteen employee owners had signed on less than a month into the transition...

durangoherald.com