The EO+WD Weekend Newsletter, Vol. 1

The first edition of our weekly newsletter. Feedback much appreciated!

Welcome!

We’ve put together some weekend reading for you from the Employee Ownership and Workplace Democracy (EO+WD) research cluster. Happy Friday!

What We’ve Been Reading

• New Jersey’s 2024 budget is likely to include funds for firms moving to employee ownership.

• In Texas, State Rep. Hugh Shine (R-Temple) filed a bill on employee ownership. It has a hearing on Tuesday of next week.

• Future Economy Lab released their research on employee ownership and collective ownership in the US. 

• John Lewis Partnership, the prototypical employee-owned firm in UK, may switch it up. 

• Bernie Sanders has a plan for workplace democracy; here is one author’s take.

What We’ve Been Writing

From Dr. Hand

• Is now finally the time for workplace democracy? Read what Dr. Hand has to share on the subject here.

• ChatGPT seems to be everywhere – but what does that mean for democracy?

From the EO+WD team

• Feminism and democracy often find themselves in the same conversations. Violet argues we need to reframe the way we think about the two. 

• ESG has been appearing in the news - but it seems to be diving more than unifying. Abby goes deeper here.

• Have you wondered what employee ownership is, exactly? Abby has you covered; check it out here. 

• A UK group recently released proposed changes to UK employee ownership policy - read more about it here, from Megan. 

• Bernie Sanders has an ambitious plan to change American workplaces - but will the Democrats follow it? Read what Reid had to say here.

What’s Next

• On Tuesday House Bill 2349, which would support ESOPs in Texas, has a hearing. Can you go? We’ll prep you!

• Next week we will cover proposed legislation in Texas and two SMU-connected organizations dedicated to enacting workplace democracy. 

• On Thursday we host our second EO+WD lunch panel with leaders from across the spectrum of employee ownership, from employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) to worker cooperatives to employee ownership trusts. Email for details or join us Thursday, March 30 in the Hillcrest Courtroom on SMU’s campus:  

In Case You Missed It

• Check out this piece from Dr. Hand on the importance of a shared faith in democratic ideals.

The Employee Ownership + Workplace Democracy Research Cluster (EO+WD) is sponsored by the Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute (DCII) at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas (DTX?).