What Does It Take to Start a Worker Co-Op? A Practical Video Guide to Democratizing Our Economy

Would it be easier to practice workplace democracy if our media gave us as many visions of collaboration as they do of competition?

As Sarah van Gelder pointed out recently, 2014 research by the Pew Center found that 78 percent of Americans believe that too much power is concentrated in the hands of a few huge companies. More than half—62 percent—believe our current economic system is rigged in favor of those with the most power.

That belief, backed by the reality of gaping inequality and downward pressure on most Americans’ wealth and wages has led many people to look for ways, not only to ameliorate the pain and pressures of business-as-usual, but to find new ways of doing business. Worker-owned cooperatives, where workers are offered a share in the company and a say in decision-making, are one way to make the workplace more democratic. The most successful cooperatives have a good record of reducing inequality and building local assets, but co-ops aren’t easy, and they aren’t for everybody.

A year ago, GRITtv and TESA the Toolbox for Education and Social Action teamed up to look more closely at what it takes for a worker-owned cooperative to get started, and to succeed. The result is Own the Change: Building Economic Democracy One Worker Co-op at a Time.

Would practicing workplace democracy and working together be easier if our media and our education system gave us as many visions of collaboration as they do of competition? What if we were encouraged to participate in our communities as much as we are pushed to purchase stuff? If we measured prosperity not by how high we could pile up resources, but how widely we could spread them out, would our heroes, not to mention our economy look different?

We believe so. Own the Change: Building Economic Democracy One Worker Co-op at a Time is one contribution to a broader vision.

Visit grittv.org for more information on worker owned cooperatives, and how you could start, or transition your business to cooperative ownership.

Rate this video 
Solutions
Why We Need Big Picture Activism
Capitalism
Trending Videos
Project 2025 Explained in Schoolhouse Rock Style!
5 min - The song that could save America. Share widely. Written, animated and performed by Jason KravitsProduced and mixed by Sean Dixon with Jason Kravits, Christopher Walz, and Brian O’Neill
“I Disagree with Kamala’s Position on the War in Gaza. How Can I Vote for Her?” Here Is My Answer | Bernie Sanders
7 min - “I understand that there are millions of Americans who disagree with President Biden and VP Kamala Harris on the terrible war on Gaza. I am one of them.”Join us at https://www.berniesanders.com  
Israelism (2023)
84 min - When two young American Jews raised to unconditionally love Israel witness the brutal way Israel treats Palestinians, their lives take sharp left turns. They join a movement of young American Jews...
I've Never Seen the Israel / Palestine Conflict Illustrated More Uniquely Than This
3 min - The story shared by Israel and Palestine has been told in several stunning films, but I don't think I've ever seen it told like this. Nina Paley created this (extremely brief) animated history of...
Combat Obscura (2019)
70 min - Just out of high school, at the age of 18, Miles Lagoze enlisted in the Marine Corps. He was deployed to Afghanistan where he served as Combat Camera — his unit's official videographer, tasked...
You Need To See This Incredible 17–Minute Film Set Entirely On A Teen’s Computer Screen
17 min - Noah, a short film that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, illustrates the flitting attention span and lack of true connection in digital culture more clearly than anything else...
I Served 16 Years In The Air Force And Left Because Of Gaza
8 min - What would you do if you joined the Air Force to defend the United States but realized your job made you complicit in ruining the lives of innocent Palestinians? Former Air Force engineer Riley...
Trending Articles
Intersections of Science and Spirituality
Subscribe for $5/mo to Watch over 50 Patron-Exclusive Films

 

Become a Patron. Support Films For Action.

For $5 a month, you'll gain access to over 50 patron-exclusive documentaries while keeping us ad-free and financially independent. We need 350 more Patrons to grow our team in 2024.

Subscribe | Explore the 50+ Patron Films

Our 6000+ video library is 99% free, ad-free, and entirely community-funded thanks to our patrons!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter