Policy and Advocacy Council
About the Council: A member-wide council forwarding legislative and government relation work at federal, state, and local levels.
Meeting times: Meets via video conference call for members only, strategy meetings on the 1st and the 3rd Thursday of each month at 1pm EST.
How to Join: Members can register here for the meeting and contact policy@usworker.coop with any questions.
What’s new with the council: We’re currently creating an infrastructure to share policy efforts, policy 101 trainings, and gathering input about worker co-op legislation that we should work on.
Movimiento de Inmigrantes en Cooperativas (MIC)
About the Council: Focusing on worker co-ops with immigrant worker-owners, the MIC council is working on its training based on popular education schedule for the upcoming year - stay tuned for information on resources for spanish-speaking workers.
Meeting times: Meets every other month.
How to Join: Members should contact Membership Director Ana Martina Rivas at ana@usworker.coop for more information about this council.
Union Co-ops Council
About the Council: A member-driven council working to build bridges between worker cooperatives and organized labor. Check out the website at unioncoops.org.
Meeting times: Meets via video conference call on the 2nd Friday of each month at 1pm EST.
How to Join: Members can register here for the meeting or email info@usworker.coop with any questions.
What’s new with the council: Fresh off celebrating the 10th Anniversary of this council with other union co-op leaders in Cincinnati, the Council recently released a series of videos on union co-ops in the U.S. Watch the videos here >
Racial and Economic Justice Council
About the Council: A member space dedicated to discussing how to best use the space to elevate racial and economic justice issues.
Meeting times: Meets every other month, on the first Monday, 12:45 - 2:00pm ET.
How to Join: Members should fill out this form with interest in joining this council.
Federation Partners
About the Peer Network: An member and invitation-only peer network for regional organizations focused on cultivating local worker co-op ecosystems.
Meeting times: as needed
How to Join: This peer network is invitation-only.
Tech Worker Co-ops
About the Peer Network: A community of worker-owned tech cooperatives committed to making the software, information technology, and digital media industry better for all people. This peer network aims to create an alternative in the industry by centering women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups as well as by breaking down systems of oppression and advancing uses of technology for justice and liberation. The Tech Worker Co-op Peer Network is a great way to cultivate new clients for your co-op and get real world feedback from tech peers on how to apply cooperative principles within the tech sector.
Meeting times: Monthly on the second Wednesday of the month.
How to Join: The Tech Worker Cooperative Peer Network is open to all USFWC members. If you are a member and you would like to request an application, please email membership@usworker.coop.
Worker Co-op Farms
About the Peer Network: The Worker Co-op Farm Peer Network is a space for worker coop farms from across the U.S. to share stories, do peer advisory, communicate, and share strategy and resources.
Meeting times: Currently active via listserve only.
How to Join: Members should email membership@usworker.coop for more information about this peer network.
Peer Networks in development:
- The Keystone Peer Network is geared toward the biggest and oldest cooperatives, and is currently assessing common practices and qualities make up these worker co-ops, such as governance, management, ownership culture, etc.
- Democratic Food Worker Co-ops network is currently being designed to connect grocery co-ops and other co-ops in the food and beverage sector in an attempt to build self-sufficient food systems and to realize food justice and sovereignty.
- The Build and Design Worker Co-ops Network is for worker cooperatives in the construction, solar and landscaping industries; its goal is to encourage and facilitate the conversations that foster peer advisory and mutual aid as well as to identify programs and benefits that the USFWC could develop to support members in these industries.
Contact membership@usworker.coop for questions about any of these in-development peer networks.
Language Justice Co-ops
About the Peer Network: The Peer Network is made up of worker cooperatives who provide language-related services like interpretation, translation, transcription, multilingual capacity building, interpreter training and language education.
Meeting times: Currently active via listserve only.
How to Join: Members should email kate@usworker.coop for more information and to join this peer network.
Operations & Human Resources
About the Peer Network: This Peer Network is for discussions about operations, administration, and human resources at worker co-ops and democratic workplaces. Members are invited to ask and answer questions and share resources on topics such as finances, bookkeeping, personnel policy, employee benefits, staff evaluation, hiring and firing, compliance, project management systems, office technology, and more.
Meeting times: Currently active via listserv only.
How to Join: You can subscribe to the listserv here.
Want to start a peer network?
The USFWC is always open to providing a platform and a space for members to gather together around important issues and sectors of the worker co-op community. Please contact Membership Director Ana Martina Rivas at ana@usworker.coop to discuss new peer network ideas.