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POWER Act Research Analysis and Final Report
This report is based on research and analysis conducted during 2023 and 2024 for the POWER (Promote Ownership by Workers for Economic Recovery) Act, State Assembly Bill 2849 (2022). The study mandate was to consider how an Association of Cooperative Labor Contractors (ACLC), a federated worker co-op system, might “promote equitable economic development, reduce inequality, and increase access to living-wage jobs,” and advance California’s Future of Work Commission goals.
Our study asked, How can worker ownership improve job quality and firm performance in historically low-wage sectors?
POWER Act Report
Read or download our full report (PDF, 314 pages) last updated Jan. 26, 2025.
You can also read or download specific report sections via the links below:
- Executive Summary (PDF, 8 pages)
- Main Sections (PDF, 93 pages; includes Executive Summary, Introduction, and Chapters 1–5)
- Portfolio of Supporting Research (PDF, 228 pages; includes all articles below)
- Article 1: Literature Review on Worker Ownership, by Will Foley
- Article 2: Statistical Analysis of ESOP Membership and Worker Outcomes, by Gonçalo Costa and David I. Levine
- Article 3: Case Studies of Immigrant Entrepreneurship and Co-op Development in Home Care, by K. MacKenzie Scott
- Article 4: Case Studies of Worker-Owned Labor Contracting in Agriculture and Healthcare: California Harvesters, Inc. and AlliedUP, by Minsun Ji
- Article 5: Case Study of a Unionized ESOP: Pavement Recycling Systems, by K. MacKenzie Scott
- Article 6: Case Studies of Worker Ownership Conversion: Proof Bakery and Firebrand Artisan Breads, by Minsun Ji
- Article 7: Analysis of Expert Interviews on Staffing Co-ops and Umbrella Groups, by Daniel Spitzberg and Morshed Mannan
- Article 8: Analysis of the Association of Cooperative Labor Contractors (ACLC), by Adria Scharf
- Article 9: Examining the Feasibility of a Worker-Ownership Conversion AI Chatbot, by Will Foley and Drew McArthur
Briefing Papers
To make our findings accessible to key audiences, we produced two briefing papers for stakeholders in government, philanthropy, workforce and economic development, organized labor, and academia.
- Briefing Paper: Strategies to Promote High-Road Worker Ownership
- Briefing Paper: Evidence on the Effects of Worker Ownership
For questions, contact Professor David I. Levine.
For background and public meeting materials, see the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) state study website.