Monthly Archives: April 2023

Next Weds: Info session with worker co-op opportunities in the federal Tech and Innovation Hub Program

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The USFWC is excited to share an opportunity to access federal funding and help to shape tech and manufacturing business development strategies across the country.

Last year the Chips and Science Act was passed, which spotlights the importance of worker ownership and solidifies its role in developing technology and manufacturing businesses in the United States.

One of the flagship programs of this Act is the Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program. Because of the USFWC’s advocacy for worker co-ops in Congress, worker ownership development centers and associations are named as allowable partners in the creation of regional technology and innovation strategies. $500 million has been appropriated toward this program.

Next Wednesday April 26th, join the USFWC and the office of Rep. Jamaal Bowman, champion of worker ownership in the CHIPS and Science Act, to understand this program and how to become a part of these regional tech and innovation strategies.

 

 

Who is this for?

Only consortia are eligible, and each consortium has certain required and optional entity types. 

  • Employee ownership membership associations
  • State or local employee ownerships and cooperative development centers and
  • financial institutions and investment funds

are among the optional entity types. If your organization falls into one of these categories, we encourage you to attend.

We know this is a short notice – the announcement was made earlier this week and the USFWC has been hard at work to make this information accessible to our network. The session will be recorded, so if you have any interest in the program, please register and you will receive  a recording afterwards.

Here’s a fact sheet about the program and the event details:

Info Webinar: Tech and Innovation Hubs program

3pm ET / 2pm CT / 12pm PT | 75 min

April 26, 2023

Register here

Please send any questions to policy@usworker.coop.

Two easy ways you can ask the state of California to fund the Employee Ownership Hub

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Last year, Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 1407, the California Employee Ownership Act, which mandates the establishment of the Employee Ownership Hub within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). The Hub is designed to establish the infrastructure necessary to increase employee ownership throughout California. Currently, there is no allocation in the California Budget to create the Hub. We are asking the State of California to invest $5 million to fund the Employee Ownership Hub.

Employee ownership is a well-proven strategy for business resilience, and creates wealth-building opportunities, workplace control, quality jobs for workers. There is compelling evidence that employee ownership saves the government money, as employee-owned businesses are more resilient during economic downturns and far less likely to lay off workers. With a potential budget shortfall looming, there is no better time for California to invest in worker ownership to preserve small businesses, protect good jobs, and save the State money. Please take a few minutes to complete these 2 easy advocacy asks to urge the State of California to fund the Employee Ownership Hub: 

 1. Tweet at CA Senate Budget Leadership to ask them to fund the Employee Ownership Hub:

Take a moment to tweet at California Legislative Budget Leaders to ask them to fund the Employee Ownership Hub! Here is how:

  • Sample Tweet: “Please fund the Employee Ownership Hub within @CAGoBiz! Employee ownership creates wealth-building opportunities and good jobs for workers, preserves small businesses, and strengthens local economies! All while saving the State money! #WeOwnIt #CaLeg #CaBudget”
  • Reply to Sample Tweet“@RendonAnthony @AsmPhilTing @alex_lee @JimPatterson559 @EGReyesCA @BuffyWicks @SenToniAtkins @NancySkinnerCA @SenAlexPadilla @CASenCaballero @SenRogerNiello”
  • Here is a graphic you can use in the tweet. 

2. Take one minute to sign this letter asking the State of California to invest in employee ownership:

  • It only takes a moment! It is most impactful for us to have organizations sign on, so please sign on behalf of your organization if you are able to.

Two easy ways you can ask California to fund the Employee Ownership Hub

Posted on

Last year, Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 1407, the California Employee Ownership Act, which mandates the establishment of the Employee Ownership Hub within the Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz). The Hub is designed to increase access and reduce barriers to employee ownership, allowing many more workers and small businesses across California to reap the benefits of employee ownership. However, the State of California has not allocated money to fund the Employee Ownership Hub. We are asking the State of California to allocate $5 million to fund the Employee Ownership Hub.

Employee ownership is a well-proven strategy for business resilience, and creates wealth-building opportunities, workplace control, quality jobs for workers. There is compelling evidence that employee ownership saves the government money, as employee-owned businesses are more resilient during economic downturns and far less likely to lay off workers. With a potential budget shortfall looming, there is no better time for California to invest in worker ownership to preserve small businesses, protect good jobs, and save the State money. Please take a few minutes to complete these 2 easy advocacy asks to urge the State of California to fund the Employee Ownership Hub: 

 1. Tweet at CA Senate Budget Leadership to ask them to fund the Employee Ownership Hub:

Take a moment to tweet at California Legislative Budget Leaders to ask them to fund the Employee Ownership Hub! Here is how:

  • Sample Tweet: “Please fund the Employee Ownership Hub within @CAGoBiz! Employee ownership creates wealth-building opportunities and good jobs for workers, preserves small businesses, and strengthens local economies! All while saving the State money! #WeOwnIt #CaLeg #CaBudget”
  • Reply to Sample Tweet“@RendonAnthony @AsmPhilTing @alex_lee @JimPatterson559 @EGReyesCA @BuffyWicks @SenToniAtkins @NancySkinnerCA @SenAlexPadilla @CASenCaballero @SenRogerNiello”
  • Here is a graphic you can use in the tweet. 

2. Take one minute to sign this letter asking the State of California to invest in employee ownership:

  • It only takes a moment! It is most impactful for us to have organizations sign on, so please sign on behalf of your organization if you are able to.

Highlights from our Member Councils and Peer Networks – April 2023

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Our Member Councils and Peer Networks are shaping the future of the worker co-op movement in the U.S. through offers and needs markets, collective education & learning and political advocacy for a worker-centered economy.  Here are the highlights for this month from some of our Councils & Networks:

  • Union Co-ops Council – Union co-ops were front and center at the first Building Worker Power conference hosted in Amherst this March, which featured powerful workshops, storytelling, projects, strategies, and visioning for where our shared labor movement is going. USFWC members organized the conference and led sessions, including the Wellspring Cooperative, Cooperation Jackson, Worx Printing, White Electric Coffee, Collective Copies, among many others.
    At the upcoming Union Co-ops Council meeting, we’ll hear from a collaboration of cooperative developers, labor advocates, researchers, and racial justice practitioners that just launched a new set of open-source online tools for anti-racist union co-op development, which centers the importance of our inner and collective work toward anti-oppression with specific activities and tools. Sign up here! (Public UCC meetings occur on the 2nd Fridays of even months at 1pm ET.)
  • Policy & Advocacy Council – The Policy and Advocacy Council hosted a deep dive conversation on State Advocacy initiatives, with speakers from NY, MA, WA, PA, and CA. Next month, the council will dig into our advocacy toolkit – members can sign up here to attend.
  • International Council – The International Council held its second official meeting of its Executive Committee and is looking forward to recruiting members at the Spring Membership Meeting. Register here for the meeting.
    During the second half of 2023, the council will be hosting a short webinar series about the international cooperative ecosystem. Be on the lookout for an invitation in future member emails!
  • Racial & Economic Justice Council – Later this year, we will be re-launching the Racial & Economic Justice Council. This will be a space for members to come together and share issues they are working on and organize with each other – learn more at the USFWC Spring Member Meeting May 24th.
  • Movimiento de Inmigrantes en las Cooperativas – We are re-launching MIC this year! If you are interested in joining Movimiento para Immigrantes Cooperativistas, a leadership and movement building space for Spanish speaking immigrant worker-owners, please email us at membership@usworker.coop and register here for the Spring Member Meeting on May 24th.

 

  • Co-op Booksellers Peer Network – The co-op booksellers chat and learn from each other on the first Friday of each month at 4pm ET. Involved in a co-op bookstore or want to start one? Join us!
  • Tech Worker Co-ops Peer Network – The Tech Peer Network is adopting an updated template agenda to focus some time every meeting on advocacy, emerging issues in the field, and supporting each other’s work. It’s a great time for new tech worker co-ops to join!
  • Federation Partners Peer Network – At the Federation Partners next meeting on Thursday April 27th, the group will be focusing on cooperative ecosystem assessments, or the elements for thriving co-op development.
  • Co-op Academies Peer Network – Stay tuned! The next co-op academies meeting will be on Monday May 22nd at 3:30pm ET.

Members, be sure to register for our USFWC Virtual Spring Member Meeting May 24th to hear more from your Member Councils and help shape their future work!