Have hope that the new year shall be an improvement on the previous one, and stay safe.

Our most liked post of 2025 references a Harvard study that covers the potential effects of worker ownership on wealth inequality. If you're concerned about the growing concentration of wealth and power, worker ownership over the means of production is particularly effective in addressing this.

Worker ownership empowers marginalized workers, particularly in exploitative and low-wage industries like home care and cleaning. Unlike traditional companies where workers lack agency, co-ops grant them direct control over their jobs and deliver the dignity they deserve.

As inequality continues to increase, the wealthy gain more control over society. They don't want you to know that we can ever do things differently. But we can. Many already are. Thank you to @moreperfectunion.bsky.social for covering cooperativism in Italy, an existing and working alternative.

Cooperatives empower people, especially the marginalized and forgotten. It's a model addressing the injustices working people face under authoritarian economics. If you desire a more inclusive planet, support co-ops where you can and talk about them with people you know. It makes a difference.

One reason why workers often prefer the cooperative business model is the focus on protecting jobs. Studies show that co-ops prioritize employment stability, even in a recession. This translates to higher worker retention and less fear of layoffs, contributing to a more secure and engaged workforce.

People are actively building a more democratic and inclusive economy. Thanks to BRED in Baltimore, cooperative businesses are being established and supported, providing empowering and dignified jobs to working people. There is an alternative to the status quo. It's called economic democracy.

Community-based enterprises generate wealth for communities. Profits are reinvested to create a wealth multiplier effect, allowing for the improvement of essential services like transportation, housing, education, and healthcare for everyone. This is what inclusive economics looks like.

Reminder that this study exists. Some people make the claim that worker-owned organizations are inefficient. It's important to fact-check such statements with existing empirical research. Empiricism has been the pathway to a better world for humanity for centuries. And it still is.

Inclusivity is key to democracy. This means equal voting rights in our politics, but it can't end there. The economy also affects us in many ways. What does inclusivity mean in the context of economics? It means inclusivity in ownership, the vehicle of economic power. It means worker ownership.

On the podcast! Hayley Postlethwaite joins us to talk about The Cleaning Coop and how the cooperative creates safe, fairly paid and equitable work with and for immigrant and racialized workers. tiny.cc/xctu001 @cooperatives.bsky.social @chf.bc.ca

Worker ownership is proven to create far more equitable pay ratios. The average for worker-owned cooperatives in the United States is 2-to-1. Unfortunately, it seems like almost no one really brings this up as the alternative. That is why we must continue to talk about it so that awareness expands.

𝘐𝘯 2024, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 10% 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 66% 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 50% 𝘩𝘢𝘥 2.5%. 𝘚𝘰, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭.

Cooperatives are gaining momentum as communities realize their potential for economic empowerment. The long-established Blue Heron Bakery in Washington recently transitioned into a community-owned cooperative. Since converting, the business added nearly 25% more jobs and increased its sales by 36%.

Thank you to the Fort Collins Food Co-op in Colorado for offering support to those affected by the SNAP outage. The co-op is accepting monetary and food donations to provide for those in need. www.instagram.com/fortcollinsf...

10,000+ social co-ops in Italy provide democratized care to children, the poor, and the disabled/elderly. Both care workers and care recipients participate in decision-making and shape the services provided. A better kind of care is possible. One that is democratic and places people above profit.

Myth: Worker ownership is unstable and inefficient. Reality: Worker-owned businesses outperform traditional companies. employeeownership.co.uk/Site/Site/co...

Economic democracy provides the foundation for a more equitable distribution of wealth. This directly safeguards political democracy by limiting the power of concentrated wealth. Worker cooperatives, as one expression of economic democracy, actively support a more equitable and democratic world.

We may be D.C.’s first worker-led nonprofit newsroom. But we’re part of a larger system of cooperative organizations working to build a better world. Last week, one of our co-founders spoke at a gathering of these businesses, from credit unions to neighborhood grocers. What she's bringing back:

How would your life change if you made $8,241 more per year? Think about the difference it could make for working people living in poverty. Worker cooperatives distribute thousands in patronage (profit-sharing) to their workers, which is in addition to their wages. It makes a difference.

Our team and fellow food actors traveled to Porter, Maine for our sixth Community Workday at LaFinca Cooperative! We helped the worker-owned cooperative with weeding and prepping beds while building relationships with each other and the land.

Equal Exchange is a worker-owned cooperative that works directly with farmer cooperatives to create a more democratic and equitable supply chain. The co-op provides an alternative to the corporate-based system and shows us that cooperative economics is viable and worker empowerment is possible.

Check out our new series of spotlights on Bay Area worker coops! In our first installment, @soleilho.com drops in on the 50-year-old Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in SF to find out what makes it work — and to hear some tasty lore (including a fistfight over what color to paint the store building! 👀)

October is National Co-op Month AND 2025 is the UN "International Year of Cooperatives"! Since Wraith Games is a worker co-op, we figured the best way to celebrate would be to share some info about co-ops and why they're rad! Ya'll ready for a thread?

Our friends at Carolina Common Enterprise are transitioning from a traditional nonprofit to a worker self-managed cooperative! Pitch in to support the future of cooperative ecosystem development in the Carolinas. givebutter.com/c/CCEBetterW...

Canada (and other countries) should support employee/worker ownership. Worker-owned businesses are more productive and resilient than traditional companies. They keep wealth local and more equitably distributed. This directly opposes the trend of economic consolidation under billionaires.

Home health aides are often low-income women of color who struggle to afford the costs of living. We must support models that provide these workers with the pay and the benefits they deserve so they can enjoy dignified lives. We must create a more equitable distribution of wealth for all people.

Cooperative Home Care Associates is a unionized worker co-op in NYC that empowers black/brown women with a say and a stake in their workplace. The business pays their workers more than other agencies in the city. We need more businesses like this to address inequality and empower working people!

Capitalism is ultimately an authoritarian form of economics that fosters the rise of billionaires, monopolies, purchased politics, and wealth inequality. We combat authoritarianism with democracy. Economic democracy is the path forward, not more capitalism for the wealthy at the expense of the many.

Cooperatives are more resilient, and they are more likely to be living-wage employers. As member-owned enterprises, co-ops empower folks, no matter their background, with a say and a stake in economic life.

A study using government data finds that if all businesses became 30% employee-owned, the bottom 90% would experience significant gains in wealth, with much of the benefits going to marginalized groups. If we're serious about addressing wealth inequality, worker ownership must be at the forefront.

Starbucks continues its legacy with layoffs and closures. The CEO of the anti-union business made $97.8m in 2024, 6,666 times more than the median worker at the company. Imagine if Starbucks were worker-owned and the profits were directed in benefit to the workers instead of overpaid CEOs.

Decades of research finds that businesses with profit-sharing and worker ownership tend to perform better. Worker ownership can empower working people with a say in their workplaces. It also creates a more equitable distribution of wealth, something that genuine democracy requires.

Jimmy Kimmel's show has been restored by ABC. If you have extra money from cancelled subscriptions due to the show being pulled, why not support independent and worker-owned media outlets from now on? We need voices that aren't influenced or bought by corporate interests and the billionaire class.

Worker ownership can turn you into a millionaire. At WinCo Foods, since workers own a share of the company through an ESOP, they benefit from an additional source of wealth that most companies don't offer. WinCo is a direct Walmart competitor and often offers lower prices.

another reminder that we're opening a worker-owned radical bookstore & cafe in astoria! you can help by: following our instagram: www.instagram.com/nobordersbooks subscribing to newsletter: noborders.beehiiv.com donating: www.gofundme.com/f/bring-a-wo... shopping: bookshop.org/shop/NoBorders

More businesses are transitioning to worker ownership! Taproot's 750 employees will now equally own the company and receive dividends based on how many hours they've worked in the year. The business becomes Canada's largest employee ownership trust. This ensures the company stays locally grounded.

The Arizmendi Association, a co-op of co-ops in California, is comprised of several bakeries and a support co-op that provides training and technical assistance to member cooperatives. This is a blueprint for building economic democracy and creating democratic jobs for the working class.

Working conditions, fair pay, benefits, work-life balance, and job security are valuable to the average worker. If profit-maximizing management was elected, the workers would realize that profit-maximization can quickly harm their livelihoods and the communities they live in in a direct way.

I think all companies should be worker-owned and run. The employees should vote every year or two for a new CEO, and candidates should include anyone who's worked at the company for at least three years. The CEO should be the person with a plan to keep the company profitable, ethical and humane.

A Rascal sister site has launched: @roguesite.bsky.social Former-Polygon writers have gotten together to launch a worker-owned video game journalism outlet (with a little rascally help). If you mourned the loss of one site, celebrate the birth of another, and support the people making it happen.

Happy Labor Day. Workers are the foundation of the economy. There is no wealth creation without labor. Feel free to follow and support the worker-owned cooperatives here on Bluesky. As democratic organizations, they contribute to a more equitable and inclusive society for everyone.

Wealth inequality in the United States has increased substantially since 1989. As of Q1 2025, the top 0.1% own more than five times as much wealth as the bottom 50%. In 1989, the bottom 50% held 3.5% of total wealth. In 2025, they hold just 2.5%.

Are you searching for an alternative to shareholder capitalism? Don't believe the people who say there isn't one. Cooperatives provide a sustainable, democratic, and equitable business model where stakeholders such as workers and customers participate in decisions and benefit from ownership.

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘴’ 𝘊𝘌𝘖 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘱 𝘪𝘯 2024, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘊𝘌𝘖, 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘭, 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 $95.8𝘮, 6,666 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺’𝘴 $14,674 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘺. This is authoritarian economics: unsustainable inequality and a politics that is increasingly ruled by the wealthy.

An excellent campaign from @ethical-consumer.bsky.social discussing: - ditching for-profit companies - imagining a world without corporate power - the fight against the far-right - converting businesses to co-ops and social enterprises - challenging tech monopolies + loads more!

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘴’ 𝘊𝘌𝘖 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘱 𝘪𝘯 2024, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘊𝘌𝘖, 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘭, 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 $95.8𝘮, 6,666 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺’𝘴 $14,674 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘺. This is authoritarian economics: unsustainable inequality and a politics that is increasingly ruled by the wealthy.

Research shows that worker-owned businesses tend to be more productive, grow faster, offer greater employment stability, survive longer, and employ happier workers than non-worker-owned companies. Billionaires are middlemen. Workers are capable of owning and managing economic organization.

Gary and Catherine Grant, founders of the UK's largest toy shop chain The Entertainer, are transferring 100% ownership to their employees. The store's workers will benefit from a share in the profits and will be able to participate in company decisions.

Last week we hosted the first ever national gathering of worker co-op restaurants here in Baltimore— @jnoor.bsky.social wrote up a post-convening report for @baltimorebeat.bsky.social: baltimorebeat.com/how-baltimor...