A worker cooperative is a business owned by its workers, and governed democratically on a one-worker, one-vote basis.
Worker cooperatives are fundamental building blocks of a more democratic economy, and a practical, tested way to shift power to workers.
Thanks in part to BRED’s work, Baltimore has one of the fastest growing worker cooperative sectors in the country.
See all the cooperatives BRED has supported in Baltimore and beyond.
Worker co-ops work for workers:
When workers own their workplace democratically, not only do they get their fair share of the profits their labor creates, they also have a real voice and a real say in the workplace decisions that affect their everyday life.
Worker co-ops work for communities:
Worker cooperatives are owned by workers who live here, not by some faraway investors looking to extract as much profit as possible. When a business is owned by its workers, the wealth it creates stays local, and what their community needs comes before what Wall St. wants.
Worker co-ops work for business owners:
Transitions to worker-ownership are one of the best ways to exit a business you’ve built while preserving your legacy, by giving your workers a chance to carry it into the future.