What Is a Worker Cooperative?
Democracy at Work Institute
A Democracy at Work Institute explainer defining worker cooperatives through shared worker ownership and democratic control.
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Heirloom Library
Explore trusted sources on employee ownership and democratic governance. Heirloom explains what each source is useful for, so you can follow a guide or look up exactly what you need.
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Showing 12 of 140 published resources.
Reset search and filtersDemocracy at Work Institute
A Democracy at Work Institute explainer defining worker cooperatives through shared worker ownership and democratic control.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO guide for companies under about 20 employees that want employee ownership but may not be good ESOP candidates.
U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
A USFWC Co-op Clinic mini guide on the role, composition, and accountability of worker co-op boards.
U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
A USFWC collection of short guides and tools on worker co-op fundamentals, including member engagement, boards, structure, decision-making, onboarding, member removal, and meeting templates.
U.S. Department of Labor
A U.S. Department of Labor resource comparing ESOPs, worker cooperatives, Employee Ownership Trusts, and equity compensation.
Sustainable Economies Law Center
A 30-minute SELC teach-in and supporting materials introducing governance, management, board roles, and power distribution in worker cooperatives and worker self-directed nonprofits.
Democracy at Work Institute / South Mountain Company
A practical resource from South Mountain Company with tips for effective meetings and consensus decision-making in worker cooperatives.
Democracy at Work Institute
A DAWI resource collection focused on scale, impact, cooperative growth, economic recovery, and worker cooperative sector data.
CooperationWorks
A CooperationWorks article arguing that sociocracy can help worker co-ops avoid informal hierarchy, scale beyond consensus, and build transparent governance practices.
Project Equity
A Project Equity comparison of ESOPs, worker cooperatives, and Employee Ownership Trusts.
Democracy at Work Institute
A plain-language DAWI overview of what worker cooperatives are, how they differ from other models, and how ownership and voting typically work.
Democracy at Work Institute
A presentation from USFWC and DAWN advisors covering the basics of worker cooperative governance and management.