Resources from the Arizmendi Association
The Association has an orientation curriculum for new workers that are in their 6-month candidacy period. You can read an outline of the curriculum, and download some of the modules. Please create the Arizmendi Association if you use or adapt them.
Publications and Videos from other organizations
Steps to Starting a Worker Cooperative, Cooperando (una guia bilingue), A Legal Sourcebook for California Cooperatives, and other resources are available at the The University of California Center for Cooperatives library. The center is defunct, but a website is maintained which includes free downloadable versions of their cooperative publications.
In Good Company: The Guide to Cooperative Employee Ownership is a 70+ page publication available as part of the Cooperative Toolbox Series from Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund.
Putting Democracy to Work: A Practical Guide for Starting Worker-Owned Businesses is one of only a couple full-length books in English on the subject of starting worker-owned companies. It, as well as an Illustrated Guide to the Internal Capital Accounts System and other how-to publications can be purchased from the ICA Group.
We Own It: Starting & Managing Cooperative & Employee Owned Ventures, is written by an attorney and two accountants, and is particularly strong on technical issues. Unfortunately it is out of print, but it can often be found through internet resellers.
Democracy in the Workplace: Three Worker-Owned Businesses in Action is a half-hour documentary video made for public television in 1999 that is available online. Part of its focus is on The Cheeseboard and Arizmendi Lakeshore. It was made by and can also be purchased through Off Center Video.
The BBC's 1980 documentary The Mondragon Experiment (part 1, part 2) is an excellent introduction to the cooperative enterprises in Basque Spain, and to José María Arizmendiarrieta, for whom our Association is named.
Beyond The Bottom Line is a half-hour documentary video made for public television in 2003 that features a variety of worker cooperatives throughout the United States. It was made by and can be purchased through Headlamp Pictures.
The U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives has a Document Library which contains a collection of working documents from worker cooperatives, democratic workplaces, cooperative developers and worker co-op federations from around the country.
The Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives (NoBAWC) maintains a resource library of documents freely available to NoBAWC members and those doing research on worker cooperatives.
Websites, Listservs and Blogs for Seeking Answers to All Your Worker Cooperative Questions
American Worker Cooperative is a blog linking to articles and academic papers on the worker cooperative movement in the U.S. It has an extensive collection of startup guides, videos, maps, and historical resources.
The WorkerCoop listserve has a couple hundred subscribers who are members of worker cooperatives or technical assistance agencies. Someone in the planning stages for a cooperative can subscribe to the listserve in order to post questions. The listserve is moderated by the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives.
The WorkerOwnedCoop listserve is a listserve with a less restricted focus and membership than the WorkerCoop listserve.
The Worker’s Paradise is a blog maintained by a member at the Union Cab cooperative and a student at the St. Mary’s University Masters of Management Co-operatives and Credit Unions program.
Abolish Human Rentals is a site is dedicated to bringing an old idea into the public conscience, that the standard employment relationship, a contract for the rental of people, is invalid due to the inalienable rights of humans.
The ProgrammerCoops listserve is "for professional programmers who are members of a programmer worker cooperative or who would like to join or create one."
OurBiz, is “a bimonthly lapsed weblog for worker-owners by worker-owners,” is maintained by the Southern Appalacian Center for Cooperative Ownership.
Another blog is Worker Coops and Unions, Working Together.
Cooperative Support Organizations
The U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
The California Center for Cooperative Development promotes cooperative action as a viable business solution to fill economic and social needs of communities in California.
Forward Minnesota (or, the Federation of Workplace Democracies in Minnesota)
The Portland Association of Worker Cooperatives. Portland, Oregon, that is.
The Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives. The San Francisco Bay Area, that is.
The Valley Alliance of Worker Cooperatives That’s the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. In Boston there is WORCN (the Worker-Owned and Run Cooperative Network), although it’s unclear how active they are, and seem to have no current web presence.
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives. Their membership is primarily comprised of agricultural cooperatives and credit unions.
The Data Commons Project. If there is no regional worker cooperative network to hook-up with in your area, you may find this on-line directory of North American worker cooperatives a helpful means for finding like-minded social entrepreneurs.
The Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy holds conferences on alternating years from the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives. The Eastern conference falls on the odd-numbered years.
The Western Worker Cooperative Conference holds conferences on alternating years from the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives. The Western conference falls on the odd-numbered years.
The National Cooperative Business Association is the U.S. trade association for all kinds of cooperatives, including worker cooperatives.
The North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO) membership is comprised primarily of housing cooperatives but has some worker cooperative membership and is giving increasing attention to worker cooperatives in their conferences/training.
The Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute is a resource center affiliated with three large home healthcare worker cooperatives in the Northeast.
EdVisions is group of charter school cooperatives based in Minnesota.
EducationEvolving, while based in Minnesota and associated with EdVisions, EducationEvolving is a broader resource regarding teacher-run schools.
WAGES (Women’s Action to Gain Economic Security) is an incubator/resource center for non-toxic house cleaning cooperatives in the San Francisco Bay Area (and possibly beyond).
Green Worker Cooperatives is a South Bronx-based organization dedicated to incubating worker-owned and environmentally friendly cooperatives in the South Bronx.
People’s Grocery is an organization taking a cooperative approach to bringing healthy food and economic democracy to West Oakland; they currently operate organic urban farms and are working towards creating a worker-cooperative retail food market.
The Association of Arizmendi Cooperatives is a San-Francisco-Bay-Area-based organization dedicated to creating more democratic jobs by replicating successful worker cooperatives; it is currently comprised of four bakery-pizzeria cooperatives and a technical assistance cooperative.
The Southern Appalacian Center for Cooperative Ownership (SACCO) maintains OurBiz, “a bimonthly weblog for worker-owners by worker-owners”.
ICA Group is a nationwide provider of technical assistance to worker cooperatives and ESOPs.
Ownership Associates is a nationwide provider of technical assistance to worker cooperatives and ESOPs.
The Cooperative Development Institute is a Northeastern-based provider of cooperative business education, training and technical assistance for the entire range of cooperatives.
Cooperative Development Services is a nonprofit organization created and governed by the cooperative community of the Upper Midwest for the purpose of developing cooperative businesses in all sectors of the economy.
The National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives
The University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives maintains a comprehensive website providing information regarding the full range of cooperatives.
The Ohio Employee Ownership Center is an excellent resource on Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and, to a lesser extent, worker cooperatives.
Some Funding Organizations
NCB (formerly known as the National Cooperative Bank) and NCB Capital Impact are lending, and occasionally granting, resources for all kinds of cooperatives. NCB Capital Impact, the development division, tends to have more activity with the worker cooperative sector than the NCB banking division.
The Cooperative Development Foundation is grant-making organization affiliated with the National Cooperative Business Association.
The Worker Ownership Fund is a worker cooperative loan fund associated with the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives and hosted by Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund.
LEAF (the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund) is loan fund associated with ICA Group.
The Cooperative Fund of New England is a revolving loan fund serving New England.
Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund is a revolving loan fund of and for all kinds of cooperatives in the Upper Midwest.