Legislators Making the Case for Employee Ownership
Executive Director
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), one of the four sponsors of the pro-employee-ownership WORK Act (along with Maggie Hassan [D-NH], Bernie Sanders [I-VT], and Patrick Leahy [D-VT]), is promoting employee ownership, including paying a visit to ESOP-owned company Once Again Nut Butter. Reporter Ben Beagle notes that Sen. Gillibrand said "she hopes to introduce several pieces of legislation by the end of the year that offer incentives for employee-ownership and profit-sharing, among other models."
A cosponsor of the WORK Act in the House of Representatives, Jared Polis (D-CO), wrote an op-ed in the Longmont (CO) Times Call supporting the legislation, saying, "our democracy can only thrive when the middle class thrives, as the engine of our country. Employee-owned businesses are one way we can ensure more people have a fair shot at the American Dream and increase overall productivity."