The Denver Worker Cooperative is an informal association of people who are starting a worker cooperative or several worker cooperatives. It was started in September of 2011 in Denver, through a series of Craigslist Ads in the gigs section
At some point we may have a Meetup group, however they cost $19 per month. We are trying to do this all for free, right now.
The organizing period takes about 3-12 months. We are organizing.
A worker cooperative is a business that is democratically managed by its worker-owners. Although there may be some workers in the business who are not owners, all workers are in training to become owners, or else are subcontracted as temporary workers.
The bylaws of each cooperative will state what it’s introductory period is for new worker-owners. Usually it is about 6 months of work, training and classes in the job itself as well as training in cooperation and understanding cooperative principles.
After the introductory period, for which the person is paid an entry-level salary, the person will be voted in as a worker-owner or let go.
In traditional forms of worker cooperatives, all shares are held by the workforce with no outside or consumer owners, and each member has one voting share. In practice, control by worker-owners may be exercised through individual, collective or majority ownership by the workforce, or the retention of individual, collective or majority voting rights (exercised on a one-member one-vote basis). A worker cooperative, therefore, has the characteristic that the majority of its workforce own shares, and the majority of shares are owned by the workforce.
The Denver Worker Cooperative’s membership is open. If you are interested in talking with us, please go to the contact section. Thanks!
