Worker-Owned Recovery California

Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW)

DAWI_democracy_at_work_institute_logo.png

a_slice_of_new_york_logo.png

Project_Equity_high_res.jpg

LCCR_Lawyers_Committee_for_Civil_Rights_SF_logo.png

CCCD_California_Center_for_Cooperative_Development_2020_logo.png

EO_Employee_Owned_Certified_logo.jpeg

USFWC_logo_2color.jpg

SELC_HorizontalLogo_colour_CMYK(for_print).png

Worker ownership now. 

We must ensure that California won't go backward and prop up an economy that wasn't serving our communities before the pandemic.  

The WORC Agenda

As small businesses continue to tread water, business owners who are searching for an exit will be hard-pressed to find a buyer. Instead of selling to large, out-of-state buyers or closing up shop for good, business owners may find willing buyers in the very people who work alongside them every day: their workers. By supporting the transition of small businesses to worker-ownership, the State of California will preserve jobs and businesses, reduce strain on its social safety net, anchor community access to essential goods and services, and cultivate a new generation of worker-owners who have a say in their workplace and share in the profits of their work. 

>>Fill this form to JOIN THE COALITION<<  

About the WORC Coalition

The Worker-Owned Recovery California (WORC) Coalition was formed to advance a comprehensive state policy agenda that addresses the dual crises of the COVID-19 economic crisis and the Silver Tsunami of retirement-age Baby Boomer business owners. In addition to discrete campaigns to influence the state budget, create state-backed cooperative conversion loans, and educate and engage the Governor's Business and Jobs Recovery Task Force, we are also building toward the introduction of bold state legislation in 2022. Read more about WORC here!

Members of the WORC Coalition include: Sustainable Economies Law Center, US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, Democracy at Work Institute, SEIU-UHW, California Center for Cooperative Development, Project Equity, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of SF Bay Area, Certified Employee-Owned, and the worker cooperative A Slice of New York. 


Will you or your organization endorse our agenda by adding your name below?

Past campaigns

2020 CA state budget campaign

In the midst of a tragic and transformative moment, the Worker-Owned Recovery California (WORC) Coalition raced against the clock to intervene in California's state budget bill. Our goal was to ensure that worker-owned businesses were included in California's economic recovery efforts and, to that end, we advocated for $10M to fund education, technical assistance, and forgivable loans to businesses that transition to worker ownership. This budget request was submitted for the June 15th budget with the backing of State Assemblymembers Chu, Kalra, Gonzalez, Limón, Bloom, Bonta, and Chiu, in order preserve the economic backbone of our state, reward both workers and selling business owners, and set California on the path to a more equitable economy. 

The June 15th CA state budget did not ultimately include our emergency state budget request for forgivable loans, education, and outreach to transition small businesses to worker ownership. However, the WORC coalition was floored by the INCREDIBLE showing of support from both legislators and the grassroots. Because of this campaign, we are in an even stronger position to introduce bold legislation in 2021 and secure state funding to back it. To show your support and receive call to action announcements about legislation and related efforts, please endorse this page below!

Questions? Reach out to WORC Coalition Coordinator Bernadette King Fitzsimons [email protected].

Urge the state legislature to invest in a worker-owned future.

Please endorse our agenda by signing below! We'll reach out with specific calls to action.

 

222 endorsements
250 endorsements

Will you endorse?


Showing 229 reactions

  • Bahni Turpin
    SoLA Food Co-op endorsed 2020-06-11 12:15:42 -0700
  • Jessica Nguyen
    endorsed 2020-06-11 11:36:41 -0700
  • Zen Trenholm
    Resilience Collaborative endorsed 2020-06-11 10:40:19 -0700
  • Marguerite Lee
    A Slice of New York - workers cooperative endorsed 2020-06-11 10:27:24 -0700
  • Diana Chavez
    endorsed 2020-06-11 08:41:29 -0700
  • Grant Ruroede
    endorsed 2020-06-11 02:18:47 -0700
  • Timmie Escobedo
    endorsed 2020-06-10 20:07:45 -0700
  • Chelsea Kigano
    endorsed 2020-06-10 20:02:58 -0700
  • daniel tonkovich
    endorsed 2020-06-10 18:16:19 -0700
  • Xan deVoss
    Fox and Lion Bread endorsed 2020-06-10 17:15:56 -0700
  • Mary Grizzle
    endorsed 2020-06-10 13:05:11 -0700
  • Reed Mayfield
    endorsed 2020-06-10 12:37:30 -0700
  • Trevor Gilmore
    endorsed 2020-06-10 11:20:40 -0700
  • Eric Medrano
    endorsed 2020-06-10 10:50:59 -0700
  • Cathy Goldsmith
    endorsed 2020-06-10 09:42:14 -0700
  • Norma J F Harrison
    Peace and freedom party, on the California ballot for 50+ years, for socialism endorsed 2020-06-10 06:05:53 -0700
  • Celia Alvarez
    endorsed 2020-06-09 23:37:23 -0700
  • Mary Ojakian
    endorsed 2020-06-09 19:26:50 -0700
  • Martin Staubus
    endorsed 2020-06-09 15:19:05 -0700
  • David De La Flor
    endorsed 2020-06-09 14:17:52 -0700
  • Oscar Alvarez
    endorsed 2020-06-09 14:11:43 -0700
  • Hash Zahed
    endorsed 2020-06-09 13:42:46 -0700
  • Michael Kroeger
    Ingage Partners endorsed 2020-06-09 13:41:03 -0700
  • Esther Choi
    endorsed 2020-06-09 12:57:25 -0700
  • Daniella Preisler
    endorsed 2020-06-09 12:23:34 -0700
  • Joseph Cureton
    endorsed 2020-06-09 11:52:53 -0700
  • Christine Ball
    endorsed 2020-06-09 11:47:23 -0700
  • David Smathers Moore
    TeamWorks Development Institute endorsed 2020-06-09 11:45:47 -0700
  • Ryan Shaening Pokrasso
    endorsed 2020-06-09 11:05:41 -0700
  • Selena Feliciano
    endorsed 2020-06-09 10:34:11 -0700

Thanks to our Partners and Collaborators: