Esteban Kelly – US Federation of Worker Co-ops

My name is Esteban Kelly, and I serve as the Executive Director for the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC), based in Philadelphia. Our organization is unique as the only national, grassroots, membership-based organization for worker-owned cooperative businesses in the United States. We also collaborate extensively with our international partners who are organizing worker co-op federations at both grassroots and national levels.

At USFWC, we support our members through advocacy, education, training, and various forms of organizing, including peer-to-peer interactions among worker co-ops and partnerships within the solidarity economy movement. Currently, many of our established co-ops are exploring the development of new platform co-ops as tools to enhance their organizing efforts. We’re also aiding new startup cooperatives that are integrating platform models into their businesses from the start.

Additionally, we’re collaborating with our colleagues from SmartEU in Belgium to adapt their freelancer cooperative model to the U.S. context. This is particularly crucial considering the evolving trends of the 21st-century economy, where an estimated 40% of the workforce will comprise gig, freelance, and contingent workers within the next decade. This shift presents a significant opportunity for freelancers to achieve better conditions and benefits by organizing through cooperative platforms, emphasizing ownership and active participation.