Word: Interview with a leader of the worker cooperative movement

Popular Resistance

The worker cooperative movement seems to be gaining more prominence in the U.S., especially locally. “Altogether worker cooperatives represent a small part of the national economy. However, there may be a greater impact at the local level in areas where they are more concentrated,” a report by the Democracy at Work Institute, a worker cooperative advocacy group, noted. An important sign that the movement is growing and strengthening came at the turn of this century, when the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives was formed with the mission of connecting and strengthening the burgeoning cooperative sector. To date, USFWC represents around 200 cooperatives and around 6,000 cooperative members across the country, and proceeds with the ultimate aim of advancing economic justice rooted in community-based, shared ownership. Robert Raymond spoke with Esteban Kelly, the group’s director.

The interview