Vision

We envision a sustainable, democratic economy for Rhode Island:

  • where workplace democracy is commonplace,

  • where worker ownership achieves real gains in economic, political, and social power for historically marginalized communities in RI,

  • and where RI businesses & institutions serve our communities in accordance with cooperative values.

Mission

We are dedicated to building a democratic local economy by facilitating the creation, growth, and viability of worker cooperatives in and around Rhode Island.

To realize this, we will:

  • Provide support for worker-owned cooperatives, including existing co-ops, start-ups, and businesses transitioning to a worker-ownership model.

  • Foster opportunities for individuals who are involved with or interested in workplace democracy.

  • Promote workplace democracy in our region among policymakers and the public.

Membership

We are a membership-based association, accepting worker-owned cooperatives and other organizations as members.

We center worker-owned cooperatives because we recognize that the interests of worker-owned cooperatives are under-represented in the landscape of Rhode Island institutions. 

We are a big tent because we recognize that worker-owned cooperatives have common interests with other organizations, (eg. support organizations, worker self-directed non-profits, co-op incubators, etc.).