Join the USFWC Board
Each year, USFWC members elect their representatives to the Board of Directors from a pool of candidates nominated by members. We elect four directors in even years and five directors in odd years.
In 2024, we are recruiting candidates to run for four Board of Directors seats.
Know a great candidate? Recommend them!
If you are part of a USFWC member organization, you can recommend any number of people to run for the board. Use this form to recommend a candidate – or ten!
Ready to run? Nominate yourself!
Use this form to self-nominate. If you still don’t have your workplace’s endorsement, you can still fill out the form. But make sure to secure the endorsement before July 26th.
Why Run for the Board?
Be a key part of building the worker co-op movement in this country.
Network with other co-op and economic justice organizations.
Travel to local, regional, national worker cooperative conferences.
Represent the US at the international worker co-op federation, CICOPA General Assembly, and as part of international delegations.
Board members are not compensated for their time, but USFWC does cover expenses incurred in the course of regular board service, such as travel.
Overview & Candidate Eligibility
USFWC is led by a member-elected Board of between 5 and 9 directors.
There are 4 directors elected in years ending in even numbers and 5 directors elected in years ending in odd numbers
Voting member classes include: Worker Cooperative, Democratic Workplace, Cooperative Developer, and Federation Partners. More about all member classes available here: www.usworker.coop/join
Any worker-owner of a voting member workplace may run for the Board, with support from their workplace (or employee in the case of Democratic Workplace, Coop Developer and Federation Partner members).
Before they run, a candidate’s workplace must have been a USFWC member for at least one year.
All directors are at-large. Candidates can run from any voting member workplace and are voted on by the entire membership.
The candidate can speak Spanish or English – our board is a bilingual space.
Only one person can run per member workplace.
If you have concerns about travel due to immigration status or other reasons, our staff will work with you to address needs.
Board Commitment
Board terms are two (2) years from date of election.
Attend our annual 2-day, in-person Board retreat (tentatively scheduled for the Fall/Winter)
Participate in monthly 2-hour Board meeting via conference call, plus preparation time.
Participate in at least one Board committee (2 - 6 hours work per month).
Attend and participate in annual membership meetings and national conferences.
Important Dates
May 16
Candidate nominations open at the Spring Member Meeting
July 26
Nominations close
August 28
Voting begins for voting members
October 7
Voting ends for voting members
Mid October
Winners announced. New board member orientation begins.
November
New board members take their seat
Bylaws Updates Regarding Elections
All board seats are now at-large, after the Board of Directors of the USFWC voted to amend the federation’s bylaws during its June 2023 meeting. The amendment eliminated regional representatives and the mechanism of regional elections. Now, each year, board candidates can run from any voting member workplace and are voted on by the entire membership. Learn more by reading the memo on the bylaws change in the 2023 Fall Annual Member Meeting Packet.
Questions? For more information, contact membership [at] usworker [dot] coop
