Madison Cooperative Network

Worker Cooperatives in Dane County

A worker cooperative is a cooperative enterprise owned by the workers. Every worker cooperative has a different structure based on its membership's desires and the needs of their industry. In general, at leat 50% of the workforce must be voting members for the organization to be considered a bonafide worker cooperative (see the CICOPA Declaration on Worker Cooperatives).

Sometimes, one hears the term "democratic workplace" or "democratic ESOP". These organizations also exist but mainly in areas outside of Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, a cooperative is organized under State Stature Chapter 185 for Cooperatives. Some cooperatives operate as a collective without hierarchy while others use a traditional management model.