Our Company, Our Wealth: The Power of Worker Ownership to New Narratives for Economic Prosperity

Worker cooperatives are a long-standing, proven business model for shared wealth and opportunity. Through in-person focus groups and site visits with worker owners, this project uplifted worker voices to show how worker cooperatives bring new wealth narratives to life, and how fresh storytelling can accelerate the model.

The workers gave voice to the critical roles that work and workplaces play in our conception of what opportunity looks like through narratives around shared prosperity and economic opportunity. The project demonstrated that worker cooperatives can be a beacon for narrative work, offering examples of the shift to more equitable economies.

What we Heard

• Worker cooperatives are deeply compelling proof-points for narratives about shared prosperity “I tell my family that this company is unique. The way that employees are treated, the benefits. Knowing that there’s not one owner benefiting off us, taking all the profit … if the company gains, everyone gains.”
• There were other perspectives on tweaks to this narrative. For example, one worker noted that the word equity was missing, and that “[it’s] not always about the monetary value—also about if you [start] at a different level—doesn’t make anyone less than you. There should be common respect and value — things that everyone can share in.” Narrative work could be helpful to the continued awareness of worker cooperatives.