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
Worker Co-ops Show Significant Growth in Latest Survey Data
New report from Democracy at Work Institute and U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives gives rich picture of state of sector.
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House of Representatives Small Business Committee Convenes Employee Ownership Hearing
Witnesses addressed financing challenges and solutions.
Out of the ClickHole, a light on alternative media ownership models
Employee ownership offers potential alternative to media companies seeking to retain journalistic integrity .
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Investor guidelines for shared value creation in employee ownership transitions unveiled
Fifty by Fifty presents guidelines at Rutgers Kelso fellows mid-year workshop by Karen Kahn In mid-January, the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing held its mid-year Kelso fellows meeting, in which scholars and practitioners spent two days sharing research and ideas to deepen understanding of the many forms of employee…
Center for American Progress proposes new policies to broaden ownership
Proposals to scale employee ownership and profit-sharing aimed at state and municipal governments.
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Mendoza Business Magazine explores relationship between Catholic social values and employee ownership
Medoza alum Jessica Rose featured in business mag story exploring the benefits of employee ownership–and the barriers to going to scale.
John McNamara Responds: New Belgium Brewery Goes Flat
I’ve been wondering when the craft beer market would begin consolidating. A few years ago, shockwaves went through the Cascadia craft beer community when 10 Barrels sold to Anheuser-Busch Inv Bev and worse, Full Sail sold to an investment company. Around the same time, another ESOP brewery in Oregon sold as well; it was notable…
Continue Reading John McNamara Responds: New Belgium Brewery Goes Flat
Hazel Corcoran: What If We Had an Antidote to Worker Co-ops Selling Out?
Indivisble reserves are one way for worker cooperatives to prevent demutualization.
Continue Reading Hazel Corcoran: What If We Had an Antidote to Worker Co-ops Selling Out?
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
“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.
