The Union Co-ops Council (UCC) is a national network of unionists, co-op members, and allied organizers building bridges between worker cooperatives and organized labor. We are a project of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, the national membership organization for worker co-ops and democratic workplaces.
Meeting Times
UCC members meet monthly by Zoom on the last Wednesdays at 3pm ET / 12 pm PT. Go to the USFWC’s events calendar to join the next meeting.
How to Join
Members should register here for more information about joining this council or if you’re interested in getting notice of our monthly conference calls or in developing a workshop on unions and co-ops in your local area.
Mission: We are building bridges between worker cooperatives and organized labor, promoting sovereignty of labor and subordination of capital, by harnessing the power of collective action to democratize enterprise. Worker cooperatives are part of, and integral to, the labor movement. Worker cooperatives achieve the goal of the labor movement, i.e. returning the means of production to the ownership of the workers and achieving 100% workplace democracy.
The cooperative movement and the trade union movement both have deep roots in liberation struggles for economic independence, from reconstruction and the ongoing fight to build Black economic power in the United States, to post-industrial revolution Manchester, UK, and even further back, to indigenous methods of mutual care. Labor unions and worker cooperatives are not an “either/or” option of organization but work together in solidarity to achieve similar goals. Each path provides the means for workers to have power and influence in their daily work lives. While cooperative ownership may bring additional earnings through the sharing of surplus and foster human dignity through worker control, the union movement has a rich history of raising the floor for entire sectors of workers, and assuring industry regulations, workplace safety, and agreements for wages and hours. Together, worker cooperatives and labor unions improve conditions for workers across the board. These all build a broader environment for good work.
Worker cooperatives have become an increasingly popular model for businesses seeking to plan their succession of ownership. Union workplaces are often prime spaces for conversions to worker-ownership. Workers in unionized workplaces already practice workplace democracy through the selection of their labor unions, elections of union leaders, and development and ratification of union contracts. Similarly, a collective bargaining agreement already created by a union can effectively be or become the policy manual that governs a worker cooperative. On a very pragmatic level, union cooperation supports a smooth and equitable shift to worker ownership.
Many cooperative developers have entered the field to support these conversions, and we encourage more support for helping workers purchase their businesses as worker cooperatives. We also want to affirm that worker co-ops can emerge in sectors and workplaces where labor organizing is taking place – in collaboration with the unions organizing there. Worker cooperatives and unions go hand in hand to resist exploitation and secure power for workers. If the worker cooperative community is used as a tool to leverage against traditional collective bargaining strategies, it hurts both the labor movement and worker co-ops. The worker co-op movement is not and must not be antagonistic to labor unions.
In July 2007, the Union Co-ops Committee was conceptualized at the Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy (ECWD) in Asheville, North Carolina. The committee began meeting monthly by conference call, reporting back to the Eastern Coordinating Council (the board of the ECWD). The committee began by collecting articles on the history of union/co-op collaboration and discussing committee goals and tasks. All members of the committee did outreach to union and the worker co-op community, including co-op members as well as technical assistance people who might be interested. In 2008, the committee moved from under the umbrella of the ECWD to the U.S. Federation of Worker Co-ops (USFWC), since committee members were spread across the country.
Timeline
2007
In July 2007, the Union Co-ops Committee was conceptualized at the Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy (ECWD) in Asheville, North Carolina. Later in 2007, the committee began meeting monthly by conference call, reporting back to the Eastern Coordinating Council (the board of the ECWD). In October 2007, the committee began meeting monthly by conference call, reporting back to the Eastern Coordinating Council (ECC; the board of the ECWD). The committee began by collecting articles on the history of union/co-op collaboration and discussing committee goals and tasks. All members of the committee did outreach to unions and the worker co-op community, including co-op members as well as technical assistance people who might be interested.
2008
In early 2008, Lisa Stolarski assumed the role of committee chair and Liz Ryder set up a wiki website for document sharing. In mid-2008, the committee planned and facilitated two union/co-op workshops at the USFWC conference in New Orleans. At this conference, the committee was transferred from ECWD to USFWC, since committee members were spread across the country. In late 2008, the committee began researching health, pension, and other benefits for worker co-ops, speaking with various labor organizations to see if worker co-ops could piggyback on existing programs.
2009
In the winter and spring of 2009, a series of conference calls sponsored by the committee were held with Frank Adams, using his book, Putting Democracy to Work: A Practical Guide for Starting Worker-Owned Businesses, as a guide. In mid-2009, the committee planned and facilitated two union/co-op workshops at ECWD in Pittsburgh, and benefits research continued. In September 2009, Mary Hoyer and Liz Ryder replaced Lisa as committee co-chairs.
2010
By the new decade, the Union Co-op Council expanded its listserv to over 23 American states and Canadian provinces. In 2010, the UCC began creating an Outreach Toolkit that local activists and cooperators can use to present worker co-op information at labor and community economic development conferences. At the 2010 National Convention of AFSCME in Boston, Grant Swanson of AFSCME Oregon put forth a union/co-op resolution, which was considered by the Executive Committee. At the 2010 Conference of the USFWC in Berkeley, the committee members planned and facilitated two workshops, including “Worker Co-ops as a Strategy for Labor” and “Health and Retirement Benefits for Worker Cooperatives.” The wiki website was expanded significantly throughout 20130, and all relevant documents were posted, including the committee goals and objectives, agendas, minutes, and articles.
2011
Development continued into 2011, with the Union Co-ops Council expanding their influence and research capabilities. By 2011, research areas conducted by the UCC included strategies for job creation and union membership, pensions and other benefits for worker co-ops, and case studies of worker co-op/union collaborations. These findings were shared at the increased number of conferences with UCC presence, including the International Organization of Industrial and Service Cooperatives (CICOPA) North America Conference in Quebec City in October 2011, alongside the annual USFWC and ECWD conferences.
2012
The Council continued sharing the union co-op model in 2012 to inform both unions, worker-owners, and fellow researchers. The UCC presented a series of workshops about worker co-ops at the BlueGreen Alliance’s Good Jobs, Green Jobs regional conferences in LA, Detroit, Atlanta, and Philadelphia in 2012. These presentations were used to support groups committed to establishing incubators, such as in Los Angeles and Los Vegan. The Union Co-op Council also worked with AFSCME in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on a possible bid from workers re privatized parking meters in 2012.
2013
The Union Co-op Council continued expanding relationships and national presence in 2013, building connections with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, the AFL-CIO, the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center in Denver, and New Era Windows in Chicago. The UCC also facilitated more presentations at the Blue Green Alliance’s Good Jobs Green Jobs conferences and a Left Forum.
2014
UCC’s communications and outreach expanded greatly in 2014, with up to 22 participants in each monthly conference call from 19 U.S. states and Canadian provinces. Participants represented almost 15 different labor unions alongside over 13 cooperative development organizations. Much of these expansions were driven by recent developments in communication, such as more articles, updated fliers, plans for a new website, and an increased number of conference presentations (at least 6 around the U.S. in 2014). This culminated in many tangible achievements such as refining the Right of First Refusal Language and continuing cooperative projects in Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, and California. 2014 also marks the year of UCC’s USFWC Charter agreement being finalized and submitted.
2015
As the Union Co-ops Council expanded, conversations ensued on the priority to remain public, transparent, and democracy. With encouragement from the USFWC, the Union Co-ops Council committed to appointing representatives for the Steering Committee at the end of each calendar year – starting with Mary Hoyer and Liz Ryder in 2015, alongside several co-chairs. However, the UCC remained committed to prioritizing the exchange within networks rather than formal bureaucracy.
Monthly calls continued to expand, as did the reach of the UCC through various worker co-ops and labor unions and organizations. 2015 also saw an increase in academic involvement, with multiple professors and students participating in calls and the creation of the USFWC – which was subsequently moved to the Democracy at Work Institute due it its expanding interests and research projects. The Union Co-ops Council also had unprecedented representation at conferences, with 10 presentations overall in 2015.
The Union Co-op Council also assisted with development projects such as:
- People’s Ride; Grand Rapids, MI
- Los Angeles Union Co-op Initiative; Los Angeles, CA
- 1worker:1vote; Washington, DC and multiple locations
- Cincinnati Union Co-op Initiative; Cincinnati, OH
- Center for Community Based Enterprise; Detroit, MI
Learn more about the long history of union co-ops from Worx Printing.
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Executive Committee
- John McNamara, Coordinator, Olympia, Washington
- Ra Criscitiello, Oakland, California
- Denise Hernandez, Bronx, New York
- Mary Hoyer, Amherst, Massachusetts
- Minsun Ji, Denver, Colorado
- Rebecca Lurie, New York, New York
- Lisabeth Ryder, Los Angeles, California
- Maddie Taterka, Staff, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Frank Adams, Co-Founder and Mentor, Rest in Peace
Task Forces
- Case Studies, Minsun Ji, facilitator
- Local Labor Outreach, Lis Ryder, facilitator
- Member Network, Mary Hoyer, facilitator
- Website Content, John McNamara, facilitator