Fifty by Fifty is catalyzing a movement to scale up employee ownership
Our goal: 50 million employee owners in the US by 2050
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.
The latest employee ownership news
Brightly Cleaning: Lessons from the First U.S. Worker Cooperative Franchise
The worker cooperative franchise provides a model to go to scale.
Continue Reading Brightly Cleaning: Lessons from the First U.S. Worker Cooperative Franchise
Ownership design for a sustainable economy
In this final report on our research into the relationship between employee ownership and sustainability, we detail our methodology, our findings, and questions for further research.
Christopher Mackin: New Belgium Brewing and the Future of American ESOPs
There is movement afoot in the ESOP marketplace to create scaled capital institutions that can drive the conversion of privately held businesses into employee owned companies and compete with conventional financing sources.
Continue Reading Christopher Mackin: New Belgium Brewing and the Future of American ESOPs
Priming the Pump for Employee Ownership
A proposal to scale employee ownership by launching $100 billion in federal loan guarantees could transform the economy.
Encouraging Inclusive Growth
Richard May and Christopher Mackin discuss their proposal for a $100 billion employee equity loan program.
Michael Palmieri and Chris Cooper Respond: What Are We Asking of Employee Ownership?
How one interprets the sale of New Belgium depends on how one answers the ends vs. means question.
Camille Kerr Responds: Don’t lose sight—the point is systems change
What should we be doing today to lay the foundation for future generations to have a democratic, equitable economic system?
Continue Reading Camille Kerr Responds: Don’t lose sight—the point is systems change
Karen Kahn: Is Your Beer Funding Human Rights Abuses?
Kirin, it appears, has blood on its hands. Whether New Belgium can bring its ethical and moral leadership to bear on its new corporate parent remains to be seen.
Continue Reading Karen Kahn: Is Your Beer Funding Human Rights Abuses?
Christopher Michael: Could the Employee Ownership Trust Better Sustain Perpetual Employee Ownership?
The next step in broadening access to this simpler, less expensive, and perpetual form of employee ownership is public policy.
“It takes a job to get out of poverty but it takes assets to stay out of poverty. Ownership shares increase in value over time, generating wealth and security.”
—Fifty by Fifty cofounder Marjorie Kelly
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.
