Democracy at Work Institute

As DAWI wraps up 10 years of championing worker ownership, we’re celebrating big wins made possible by our supporters: ✨ Moved a third of our budget to cooperative development ✨ Helped over 75 workers facing employment barriers become worker-owners ✨ Trained 15+ organizations on launching worker-owned businesses ✨ Supported 300+ new employee-owners in building ownership culture ✨ Advised the U.S. Dept. of Labor on worker ownership initiatives With 2025 marking the International Year of Cooperatives, we need your help in going even further. Join us in creating a more equitable future. Donate today! Expect a thank-you gift when you donate at the $15 or $35 monthly level or make a one-time $200 or $500 donation. Donate now in the #LinkInBio *Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law, as the Democracy at Work Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Every contribution helps us further our mission.

Explore how democratic management drives thriving worker cooperatives. Join the School of Democratic Management at DAWI and take some free courses! Our online platform is accessible from all devices and all materials are in English and Spanish. Join in the #LinkInBio ✨

Union🤝Co-op solidarity. In case you missed it, @reiunion is calling for a boycott on @rei . We’ve got resources to learn more about union, worker-owned cooperatives as a strategy for building worker power. So many NEC members & movement builders to s/o that are putting the labor & care! Here some of them: @usfwc @wearedawi @coopcincy @coopdayton 🔗 The link is in our bio & our website! #FireTheBosses

California's economic prosperity depends on protecting immigrant workers and business owners, and building pathways to economic mobility. @cagovernor , @caspeakerrivas , @asmjessegabriel , @quirksilva , @moniquelimonca , @senjohnlaird , @senmelissahurtado listen to these powerful testimonies from across the state and invest $45 million in the State Budget towards a new generation of #SEED immigrant entrepreneurs. #ImmigrantEntrepreneurship #EconomicMobility #EconomicJustice

Hoy hay más apoyo para emprendedoras hispanohablantes que nunca. Luz María Martínez es una de varias asesoras latinas hispanohablantes de nuestra Clínica Cooperativa que cuenta con la experiencia de crear cooperativas de trabajadores que brindan servicios y recursos para su comunidad. ¡Pónte en contacto con les Asesores en Pares de la Clínica Cooperativa para aprender de su experiencia y mejorar tu empresa hoy! 🚀 usworker.coop/clinica/asesores/ #Asesoria #NegociosPequeños #Cooperativas #Cooperativismo #ApoyoEmpresarial LatinasEmprendedoras MujeresEmpoderadas

The Worker Co-op Conference is the biggest event in the country for worker-owners, solidarity economy organizers, labor and their support organizations and our support is instrumental! The conference only happens every other year; don’t miss out on this chance to be involved in #OwningOurFuture. Sponsor the WCC26 at conference.coop 💐 La Conferencia de Cooperativas de Trabajadores es el evento más grande del país para les trabajadores-dueñes, organizadores de la economía solidaria, sindicatos y sus organizaciones de apoyo. ¡Tu apoyo es fundamental! La conferencia solo ocurre en los años pares. Así que no pierdas la oportunidad de apoyarnos en ser #DueñesDelFuturo. Patrocina la Conferencia en conference.coop 💐 #SolidarityEconomy #WorkerOwnership #WorkerPower

Join us in urging California policymakers to invest in immigrant entrepreneurship! Community members, partners, and local organizations, comment “link” and be heard. The Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 4 hearing will take place on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. in the California State Capitol. This is your opportunity to advocate for continued funding to sustain the Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) Initiative for immigrant entrepreneurs. This is a critical time for state lawmakers and government agencies to hear directly from the community that the SEED Initiative is important and must be prioritized in the state budget. Together, we can ensure that SEED continues to empower immigrant entrepreneurs and uplift our local economy. SEED offers educational and financial support to California entrepreneurs who contribute to job growth and economic development. 40% of entrepreneurs in California are immigrants, 220,000 of whom are undocumented. The SEED program would directly invest in these businesses. Access our public comment toolkit and join our coalition partners at the State Capitol by filling out our interest form: immigrantsrising.org/em4astory (or comment “link” and we will send you the interest form via DM!)

OPEN TO ALL CUNY STUDENTS : Join Lehman College on April 22nd, 2-4pm for CUNY’S first ever Cooperative & Entrepreneurship Career Fair in partnership with the Black Male Initiative. 💼💫 Learn and explore non-traditional career and income generating opportunities from over 20 partners, who are tabling with services such as, worker cooperatives, paid fellowships, contracting opportunities, and many more! Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity, scan the QR code to register now! #CunyStrong #ImmigrantStudents #DisabilityEvents #JusticeImpacted #InclusiveCareerOpportunities

(español abajo) We’re excited to announce that the 2026 Worker Co-op Conference will be held at Roxbury Community College in Boston, MA September 25-26! 📣 Get ready for local worker co-op ecosystem tours, worker co-op business development, skill building, networking, advocacy and more. Stay tuned for more details about the 2026 Worker Co-op Conference on conference.coop. ¡Nos conmueve anunciar que la Conferencia de Cooperativas de Trabajadores de 2026 llevará a cabo del 25 al 26 de septiembre en Roxbury Community College de Boston, MA! 📣 Prepárate para giras de cooperativas de trabajadores locales, sesiones de desarrollo empresarial para las cooperativas, y crear nuevas conexiones. Manténte al tanto en conference.coop para más detalles sobre la Conferencia de Cooperativas de Trabajadores de 2026. #WCC26 #WorkerCoopConference

Join us at The Hub for another succession planning chat! Learn how a business can grow and pass on its legacy while keeping stewardship in the hands of the community. You’ll hear from three entrepreneurs who partook in community-centric approaches to succession planning: • Alice Choi-Barrick of Tay Shing Corp. of NY • Taeil Kim of @sonbul.bk • Lauren Ruiz of @donnacocktailclub • Moderated by Anh-Thu Nguyen of @wearedawi 📅 March 31st, 6-8pm 📍 115 Bowery, the Hub 🎟️ Link in bio to RSVP We’ll have bites from Sonbul + sips from DONNA, and produce courtesy of Tay Shing :-) With aging owners, many beloved Chinatown businesses could be lost within the next decade. Whether you’re a business owner thinking about the future, considering taking over a small business, or a person who cares about the future of small businesses in NYC, this ones for you.

Community members, partners, and local organizations: advocate for funding for immigrant entrepreneurship! On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at the California State Capitol, the public will have an opportunity to advocate for the Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) Initiative at the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 hearing. At the end of the meeting, each member of the public will be given one minute to provide their public comment and voice their support for SEED. This is a critical time for state lawmakers and government agencies to hear directly from the community that the SEED Initiative is important and must be prioritized in the state budget. Together, we can ensure that SEED continues to empower immigrant entrepreneurs and uplift our local economy. Comment “toolkit” to learn how you can join us in providing public comment in person or via email.

“Worker-owners also have more control over their labor, which improves their work experience, productivity, and human dignity. They earn annual dividends as owners in addition to a salary, helping them build assets, which allows them to support their families.” ✊🏼🛠️ How can we support incarcerated #WorkerCoops? The Let Us Contribute Initiative @letuscontribute was founded by incarcerated people and is supported by a coalition of partner organizations, working with lawmakers to allow the creation of worker cooperatives inside of prisons in California, the state with the second largest prison population after Texas. Learn more and support their work at /issues Photo By Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images