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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Anh-Thu Nguyen, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Democracy at Work Institute, on Worker Cooperative Business Development Initiative
2:22:24
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160 sec
Anh-Thu Nguyen, representing the Democracy at Work Institute, testified about the success and importance of the Worker Cooperative Business Development Initiative (WCBDI) in New York City. She highlighted the initiative's achievements in creating jobs, supporting small businesses, and providing opportunities for immigrants and recent migrants.
- WCBDI has created over 1,000 jobs and 200 new worker cooperative businesses since its inception in FY2015
- Successful examples include Afrolingual, an interpretation cooperative, and Radiate Consulting, a professional services cooperative
- Nguyen requested $5,090,000 in funding for FY2026 to continue supporting and expanding worker cooperatives in NYC
Anh-Thu Nguyen
2:22:24
Hi.
2:22:24
Good afternoon, chair Farias and distinguished members of the New York City Council Committee on Economic Development.
2:22:30
My name is Antoon Nguyen, and I am the director of strategic partnerships at Democracy at Work Institute, a member of the Worker Cooperative Business Development Initiative or WCBI for short.
2:22:40
Thanks to city council's investment over the last 10 fiscal cycles, we've provided significant benefits to aspiring business owners and become a model of innovative and inclusive economic development that has been modeled across the country now.
2:22:53
Our initiative is created and supports a resilient employment and business ownership opportunities unlike any other in New York, with where we provide critical support to small businesses, workers, and recent migrants, connecting them to business ownership and employment opportunities, especially when alternative routes to employment and business ownership are unavailable.
2:23:13
Some key achievements in the past few years have included the successful launch of Afrolingual, an interpretation and translation cooperative that provides language support in over 10 African languages.
2:23:24
This language access has been key to offering on ramps to economic and social mobility for African migrants and is currently being used as a model for other interpretation cooperatives across the country.
2:23:36
In addition, the establishment of Radiate Consulting, which is a professional services consulting cooperative made up of CUNY graduates, which builds capacity for immigrant services organizations and small businesses, including administration, bookkeeping, curriculum development, and trainings.
2:23:51
The worker owners have deep experience in these spaces and have come from these communities themselves, so they know it best.
2:23:57
In the past few years, Rady Consulting has doubled in size and reached profitability within the first two years of its launch.
2:24:03
It's also become a model for workforce development for young immigrant professionals that is currently being replicated by the city of San Francisco amongst other cities that are looking to see how they can bring young people into the workforce.
2:24:17
Since its inception in fiscal year twenty fifteen, WCBDI has created more than a thousand jobs and pathways to business ownership, created more than 200 new worker cooperative businesses to offer higher hourly wages, better working conditions, and importantly, build wealth and equity for workers.
2:24:32
It's reached more than 10,000 education and technical assistance services.
2:24:38
I have more to share in my written testimony, but we urge city council to continue investing in worker cooperatives in New York City in fiscal year twenty six to the tune of $5,090,000, which will provide for the start up of 31 new worker cooperative small businesses and over a hundred new jobs as well as technical assistance and education reaching over 2,000 existing startup aspiring cooperative entrepreneurs.
2:25:00
Thank you again, and appreciate the time that you've given me for testimony.
Amanda Farías
2:25:04
Thank you so much.