When you are running a cooperative with members who do not have work authorization, there are specific governance and management strategies that will help your cooperative avoid employee classification. Governance and management strategies that will
Interns are people that do work for their own educational or therapeutic benefit. Before taking on interns, a cooperative should understand who is considered an intern along with the rules and exceptions specific to them.
Volunteers are people that do work for charitable, religious, or humanitarian benefit. Before taking on volunteers, a cooperative should understand who is considered a volunteer along with the rules and exceptions specific to volunteers. The
An independent contractor is a person, business, or corporation that provides goods or services under a written contract or a verbal agreement. Independence and cooperation sound somewhat like opposites, but they are actually closely intertwined
In order to make a distinction between types of worker-owners, it’s important to apply a test or series of tests that have been developed for determining who is a member of an enterprise. Below, we
Workers may be classified as employees rather than partners depending on the legal entity the co-op decides to form under. LLCs, Partnerships, and Cooperative Corporations each have different implications regarding worker classification and therefore it
Making decisions in cooperatives can be a uniquely difficult task. There is always a diverse range of member interests, and decisions must be made in a fair and democratic manner. Before deciding what sort of
The page overview is a brief, 2-3 sentence summary that describes the key takeaway the reader will come away with from the page. It is generally a high-level snapshot of what’s to come. Subhead in
It is critically important to evaluate the question of employment status carefully. Failure to properly classify someone as an employee could result in an expensive lawsuit or fine when either a labor department or worker
It is important to have a plan in place for the distribution of proceeds for when a cooperative member decides to leave the cooperative and/or when a cooperative decides to dissolve or sell the business.
The information presented on Co-oplaw.org is largely based on California law and IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE.
Have suggestions or notice something we missed? Share your feedback with us here.
