There are many ways to "skin the cat." Your worker/shareholder concept could one of several options for the world to consider when it truly wants to go that way.
I recommend getting your state's corporate rulebook. There is a lot of business/legal experience written into this document to help business owners and shareholders set up the rights and obligations.
Eventually the worker co-operatives will use this rulebook (with appropriate bylaws) or create a new rulebook. A new rulebook will require a charter from the state legislature, which means it would require a certain degree of public support. I can't see how any serious business can get established without some kind of incorporation.
--------------
We have disagreed on this matter before. My life experience is that many workers have insufficient knowledge of marketing, accounting, staffing, banking, legal affairs, regulations, systems, etc. etc. The workers may have opinions on these matters, but to put them in charge--even if they are united--would mean many worker cooperatives going under. These worker cooperatives still need experienced business managers to run them. These business skills do not come easily.
-----------------
Whatever worker cooperative structure comes into being, it will still need to attract capital. If the investors find their shares are diluted too much, other investors will stay away from similar investments. If the banks do not feel the business is competently run, they will not loan money. If supplier and customers do not have confidence, they will not associate. So whatever structure is eventually realized, all these entities will have to somehow be factored into the structure.
--------------
Your concept of active/passive shares (and their buybacks) will need some more thinking.
Private companies have provisions for the transfer of shares from one shareholder to another. The company lawyer will effect this transfer and properly record it on the shareholder ledger. I would estimate such a transfer would cost the company (or the shareholders) $500. Maybe more.
This is not a big deal for a company with 10 or fewer shareholders. As the company gets more shareholders and these shareholders are buying/selling privately, the administration gets more expensive and the ledgerbook falls more prone to errors.
I see your active/passive, worker/investor share classes leading to legal confusion. And legal confusion can bring an otherwise great business down.
-------------
There are good reasons why governments have set up corporate rulebooks for business, societies, and co-operatives. If no rules, business is very chaotic.
--------------
My "first" cooperative was the Alberta Wheat Pool (actually my grandfather's). This entity was chartered in the 1920s, and the Alberta government gave it its unique rulebook (and some seed money).
My fuel/grocery co-op was chartered under a certain co-operative act. It is not a business corporation.
My credit union bank is the same. But it is structured different than the other co-op, so I think there are some other rules in place. The credit union came first and I can see it has a more primitive structure.
If you want to move worker's co-operatives forward, eventually your work will require building a rulebook of some kind.
-------------
My "spolu" needs a lot more details to it. It will need a unique set of rules, and those rules will require a formal government charter to allow this kind of business to establish itself.
