Symposium

The 7th Union Co-op Symposium, a gathering of worker-owners and union members from across the US, opened with guests being invited to talk to someone they don't know. Facilitators repeat this exercise two or three times in a row to begin the biennial event. “It is actually really hard to shut it down once you get it started, because so many people are so excited,” says Kristen Barker, a co-director of Co-op Cincy, which has hosted the Symposium since 2013. The 2025 Symposium took place from October 17-18, offering workshops, panels and conversations on how the cooperative and labor movements can work together to build a democratic economy.