With the economic crisis of 2008 and in the aftermath of the Occupy movement workers’ cooperatives have re-entered conversations among community organizers, urban planners, community development practitioners, business, and organized labor. The meanings and purpose of economic democracy, however, differ in all of these contexts. In this workshop we want to discuss about the potential of workers’ cooperatives in putting forward different values that aim at a more just and participatory politics, economics, and society. Are cooperatives and workers’ controlled companies a viable alternative to the contemporary capitalist system? What are the contradictions and risks worker cooperatives face in a capitalist system? Which characteristics and practices can strengthen workers cooperatives and worker controlled companies as an alternative to capitalist businesses and which ones put them at risk to be only a more democratic capitalist business? After brief overviews on international experiences of worker controlled companies, the historical experiences in the US and the concrete situation of cooperatives in NYC we want to discuss these questions with all participants of the workshop.