Our Mission

Our primary mission is to educate and inform the public so that a majority of people in Rhode Island can explain what a worker cooperative is and why it would be good for them.

Our long-term mission is to cultivate an environment for the growth of a worker cooperative business sector.

Our Vision

We envision a cooperative economy, one in which workplaces are owned and run democratically by workers, as the norm in Rhode Island.

Our Values

We believe...

... in equity for all in both senses of the word: fairness and shared ownership.

... that work is the only producer of wealth. As Abraham Lincoln put it:

“Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”

... that everyone should have a say in the decisions that affect them.

... in one person, one vote.

... the product belongs to its producer.

... in cooperation between cooperatives.

... in a transition to a non-extractive economy.

... in work that serves the needs of people.

... that workplace democracy is necessary practice for civic democracy.

We elevate our values through activism, advocacy, and education.