What comes first, public policies, institutions, or markets changes? By Sarah Stranahan Those of us seeking to advance employee ownership face a bewildering array of legislative initiatives and competing advocacy priorities. At last count, there were at least six Senate bills dealing with employee ownership. They range from Senate Bill 1082, which would create an […]
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A Cure for What Ails our Communities
By Anthony Mathews At the Beyster Institute at the University of California-San Diego, which is dedicated to studying and promoting employee ownership, I was part of an initiative about ten years ago to try to organize a work group with the humble goal of curing poverty in the U. S. We started from the assumption […]
Continue ReadingOwnership and Economic Democracy
Introducing Jason Wiener, P.C., a legal and consulting business for mission-driven companies. By Jason Wiener If the 18th century can be defined as the age of industrialization and competitive advantage of the nation state, the 19th century by the power of the corporation, and the 20th by corporate financialization, then, I believe, the 21st century […]
Continue ReadingThe Woman Aiming to Get 50 Million Americans Into the Worker-Owner Economy
And she has a plan to do it. This interview by Fran Korten originally appeared in Yes! Magazine For decades Marjorie Kelly has looked for ways that businesses can better contribute to the good of society. In 1987, after getting a master’s degree in journalism, she founded Business Ethics magazine to showcase socially responsible corporations. But after 20 years […]
Continue ReadingBipartisan Support for Employee Ownership
by Erin M. Kesler Late last week, on October 19, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a resolution to the Judiciary Committee designating October “National Employee Ownership Month.” Sponsored by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), the resolution was signed onto by senators as diverse as Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Angus King (I-ME), Todd Young (R-KS), and Pat Roberts […]
Continue ReadingMondragon through a Critical Lens
Ten Lessons from a visit to the Basque Cooperative Confederation By Jill Bamburg I recently completed a study tour to Mondragon, a small town in the Basque region of Spain, which is the home of the world’s largest and most advanced cooperative economy. In the United States, the cooperative sector, which represents over $500 billion in […]
Continue ReadingEmployee-Ownership Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Employee-owners are more confident about their financial security. by Erin M. Kesler At a time of growing anxiety around economic issues for many workers, recent news indicates that employee owners are experiencing significantly less stress. According to a recent Forbes piece, employee owners have far fewer worries about paying their monthly bills than workers at other firms. […]
Continue ReadingInterview with Certified EO
Spreading the word about Employee Ownership by Erin M. Kesler Set to launch on September 5, 2017, Certified EO is a membership organization that seeks to transform the way American businesses see employee ownership. Certification is a proven tool for spreading market innovation. For example, fair trade labels help discerning consumers choose products that meet […]
Continue ReadingEmployee ownership and the next system
The Democracy Collaborative’s Research Director Thomas Hanna and Next System Project Deputy Director Dana Brown sat down with Dr. Joseph Blasi — preeminent expert on employee ownership, Distinguished Professor at Rutgers’ School of Management and Labor Relations, and regular contributor to work around Fifty by Fifty — for a chat about the importance of employee ownership and its role in a larger […]
Continue ReadingThe ESOP-erative
A new design: worker cooperative governance with ESOP tax benefits By Martin Staubus Businesses interested in transitioning into employee ownership are often presented with a structural dilemma: convert into an ESOP or a cooperative? Go for the democratic worker control and participation of a cooperative, or the tax benefits of an ESOP? I recently helped […]
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