An initiative of The Democracy Collaborative, Fifty by Fifty is aimed at creating a more inclusive economy through employee ownership. Our goal is to catalyze a movement with the knowledge, resources, and skills to grow the number of employee owners in the U.S. to 50 million Americans by 2050.

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The latest employee ownership news

Government Contracting Preferences Pose Barrier to Scaling Employee Ownership

An ESOP trust doesn’t qualify as a minority-owned business.

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Role of Capital in Taking Employee Ownership to Scale

At the Beyster Symposium, Fifty by Fifty panel explored a new financing model to scale employee ownership.

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Can Worker Cooperatives Transform the Commercial Laundry Business?

Evergreen Cooperatives plans expansion of its laundry co-op model to New Haven and other cities.

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To Grow Employee Ownership Pennsylvania Center Is Building Awareness

PA Center for Employee Ownership models strategy for states to expand employee-owned companies.

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Two Publishers Illustrate Why Ownership Matters

Financial ownership vs. inclusive multistakeholder ownership leads to different outcomes for Jossey-Bass and Berrett-Koehler

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Mass relaunches office to grow employee ownership

Concerns over business closures reignite interest in employee ownership among Massachusetts lawmakers

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Three Quarters of Americans Prefer to Work for an Employee-Owned Company

Widespread consensus on employee ownership revealed by national survey question.

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Berkeley, CA: Early Investor in Employee Ownership Conversions

City’s partnership with Project Equity aims to address wave of business closures.

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A National Strategy to Grow Home Care Cooperatives?

Participants at the USDA Interagency Working Group meeting see role for government leadership.

Continue Reading A National Strategy to Grow Home Care Cooperatives?

Employee ownership offers a solution to the vast income and wealth inequality that is undermining America’s economy.

GOOD FOR EMPLOYEES

• WAGES: Employee owners earn average wages 5 to 12 percent higher than employees in conventional firms.
• WEALTH: The net worth of employee owners aged 28 to 34 is 92 percent higher than for non-employee owners.
• RETIREMENT SAVINGS: The average retirement savings for an ESOP employee is $170,000, twice the national average.

GOOD FOR BUSINESS

• TURNOVER: Employee engagement is higher and turnover is lower at employee-owned companies.
• GROWTH: Transitions to employee ownership increase productivity by more than 4 percent.
• STABILITY: Employee owners are one-fourth as likely to be laid off and their companies go bankrupt less frequently.

GOOD FOR COMMUNITIES

• JOBS: Employee ownership saves local jobs, because companies that are owned by their employees are far less likely to leave their communities.
• LOCAL WEALTH: Employee ownership keeps wealth circulating in local communities.

GOOD FOR OWNERS

• LEGACY: When business owners sell their businesses to their employees, they can keep their legacy alive for generations to come.
• SAVINGS: Entrepreneurs and family owners can realize the value the business has built while enjoying substantial tax savings.
• RESPONSIBILITY: Business founders and families can find ready buyers in employees, avoiding sale to those who would dismantle the business.

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