diff --git a/src/libsync/lib.rs b/src/libsync/lib.rs
index fa219009d41d5..0d42098d3e4f5 100644
--- a/src/libsync/lib.rs
+++ b/src/libsync/lib.rs
@@ -45,3 +45,4 @@ mod task_pool;
 pub mod raw;
 pub mod mutex;
 pub mod one;
+pub mod workqueue;
diff --git a/src/libsync/workqueue.rs b/src/libsync/workqueue.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..8888e9bcec108
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libsync/workqueue.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,278 @@
+// Copyright 2014 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+
+/*!
+
+A simple worker queue.
+
+# Example
+
+```rust
+use std::task;
+
+// Create the queue
+let (queue, dispatcher) = WorkQueue::<int, int>();
+
+// Spawn a dispatcher thread
+task::spawn(proc() { dispatcher.run(); });
+
+// Spawn 10 workers
+for _ in range(0, 10) {
+    let worker = queue.worker();
+    task::spawn(proc() { worker.run(|arg| arg + 2); });
+}
+
+// Execute jobs on the queue
+let answers: Vec<int> =
+    range(0, 1000)
+    .map(|n| queue.push(n))
+    .map(|rv| rv.recv())
+    .collect();
+assert_eq!(answers, range(2, 1002).collect());
+
+// The dispatcher and workers are shut down when `queue` goes out ouf scope
+```
+
+Jobs can be queued from other tasks:
+
+```rust
+let proxy = queue.proxy();
+assert!(task::try(proc() {
+    assert_eq!(proxy.push(5).recv(), 7);
+}).is_ok());
+```
+
+*/
+
+use std::comm::channel;
+
+type WorkUnit<ARG, RV> = (ARG, Sender<RV>);
+
+enum MessageToWorker<ARG, RV> {
+    Work(WorkUnit<ARG, RV>),
+    Halt,
+}
+
+enum MessageToDispatcher<ARG, RV> {
+    Dispatch(WorkUnit<ARG, RV>),
+    HaltAll,
+    RegisterWorker(Sender<Sender<Sender<MessageToWorker<ARG, RV>>>>),
+}
+
+/// A queue that distributes work items to worker tasks.
+pub struct WorkQueue<ARG, RV> {
+    priv dispatcher: Sender<MessageToDispatcher<ARG, RV>>,
+}
+
+/// A proxy to a `WorkQueue`. It can be freely cloned to use from multiple tasks.
+pub struct Dispatcher<ARG, RV> {
+    priv inbox: Receiver<MessageToDispatcher<ARG, RV>>,
+}
+
+/// A proxy to a `WorkQueue`. It can be freely cloned to use from multiple tasks.
+pub struct WorkQueueProxy<ARG, RV> {
+    priv dispatcher: Sender<MessageToDispatcher<ARG, RV>>,
+}
+
+/// A worker that executes tasks from its parent queue.
+pub struct Worker<ARG, RV> {
+    priv ask_for_work: Sender<Sender<MessageToWorker<ARG, RV>>>,
+}
+
+/// Create a new work queue.
+pub fn WorkQueue<ARG:Send, RV:Send>() -> (WorkQueue<ARG, RV>, Dispatcher<ARG, RV>) {
+    let (dispatcher, dispatcher_inbox) = channel::<MessageToDispatcher<ARG, RV>>();
+    return (
+        WorkQueue{dispatcher: dispatcher},
+        Dispatcher{inbox: dispatcher_inbox},
+    );
+}
+
+impl<ARG:Send, RV:Send> WorkQueue<ARG, RV> {
+    /// Create a copyable proxy that can be used to push work units.
+    pub fn proxy(&self) -> WorkQueueProxy<ARG, RV> {
+        return WorkQueueProxy{dispatcher: self.dispatcher.clone()};
+    }
+
+    /// Create a new worker.
+    pub fn worker(&self) -> Worker<ARG, RV> {
+        let (reg_s, reg_r) = channel::<Sender<Sender<MessageToWorker<ARG, RV>>>>();
+        self.dispatcher.send(RegisterWorker(reg_s));
+        return Worker{ask_for_work: reg_r.recv()};
+    }
+
+    /// Push a work item to this queue.
+    pub fn push(&self, arg: ARG) -> Receiver<RV> {
+        let (rv, wait_for_rv) = channel::<RV>();
+        self.dispatcher.send(Dispatch((arg, rv)));
+        return wait_for_rv;
+    }
+}
+
+
+// rustc complais "cannot implement a destructor on a structure with
+// type parameters", but our destruction is safe, we only send
+// a simple message on a channel.
+#[unsafe_destructor]
+impl<ARG:Send, RV:Send> Drop for WorkQueue<ARG, RV> {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        self.dispatcher.send(HaltAll);
+    }
+}
+
+impl<ARG:Send, RV:Send> Dispatcher<ARG, RV> {
+    /// Run the dispatcher loop. It will stop when the parent WorkQueue
+    /// object is dropped.
+    pub fn run(&self) {
+        let (want_work, idle_worker) = channel::<Sender<MessageToWorker<ARG, RV>>>();
+        let mut worker_count = 0;
+        let idle_worker = idle_worker;
+        loop {
+            match self.inbox.recv() {
+                Dispatch(work_item) => {
+                    idle_worker.recv().send(Work(work_item));
+                },
+                RegisterWorker(want_idle_sender) => {
+                    worker_count += 1;
+                    want_idle_sender.send(want_work.clone());
+                }
+                HaltAll => {
+                    while worker_count > 0 {
+                        idle_worker.recv().send(Halt);
+                        worker_count -= 1;
+                    }
+                    return;
+                },
+            };
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<ARG:Send, RV:Send> WorkQueueProxy<ARG, RV> {
+    /// Push a work item to this queue.
+    pub fn push(&self, arg: ARG) -> Receiver<RV> {
+        let (rv, wait_for_rv) = channel::<RV>();
+        self.dispatcher.send(Dispatch((arg, rv)));
+        return wait_for_rv;
+    }
+}
+
+impl<ARG:Send, RV:Send> Clone for WorkQueueProxy<ARG, RV> {
+    fn clone(&self) -> WorkQueueProxy<ARG, RV> {
+        return WorkQueueProxy{dispatcher: self.dispatcher.clone()};
+    }
+}
+
+impl<ARG:Send, RV:Send> Worker<ARG, RV> {
+    /// Run the worker loop. It will stop when the parente WorkQueue
+    /// object is dropped.
+    pub fn run(&self, fun: |arg: ARG| -> RV) {
+        loop {
+            let (idle, work_unit) = channel::<MessageToWorker<ARG, RV>>();
+            self.ask_for_work.send(idle);
+            match work_unit.recv() {
+                Work((arg, rv)) => rv.send((fun)(arg)),
+                Halt            => return
+            };
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    use std::task::spawn;
+    use super::WorkQueue;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_queue() {
+        let (queue, dispatcher) = WorkQueue::<int, int>();
+        spawn(proc() { dispatcher.run() });
+        for _ in range(0, 3) {
+            let worker = queue.worker();
+            spawn(proc() { worker.run(|arg| arg * 2); });
+        }
+
+        let return_list: Vec<int> =
+            range(0, 10)
+            .map(|c| queue.push(c))
+            .map(|rv| rv.recv())
+            .collect();
+
+        assert_eq!(return_list, vec!(0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_enqueue_from_tasks() {
+        let (queue, dispatcher) = WorkQueue::<int, int>();
+        spawn(proc() { dispatcher.run() });
+        for _ in range(0, 3) {
+            let worker = queue.worker();
+            spawn(proc() { worker.run(|arg| arg * 2); });
+        }
+        let mut promise_list: Vec<Receiver<int>> = Vec::new();
+        let queue_proxy = queue.proxy();
+        for c in range(0, 10) {
+            let queue_proxy_clone = queue_proxy.clone();
+            let (done, promise) = channel::<int>();
+            promise_list.push(promise);
+            spawn(proc() {
+                let done = done;
+                let queue = queue_proxy_clone;
+                let rv = queue.push(c);
+                done.send(rv.recv());
+            });
+        }
+
+        let return_list: Vec<int> =
+            promise_list
+            .iter()
+            .map(|promise| promise.recv())
+            .collect();
+        assert_eq!(return_list, vec!(0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18));
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod bench {
+    extern crate test;
+
+    use self::test::BenchHarness;
+    use super::WorkQueue;
+
+    #[bench]
+    fn bench_50_tasks_4_threads(b: &mut BenchHarness) {
+        let (queue, dispatcher) = WorkQueue::<int, int>();
+        spawn(proc() { dispatcher.run() });
+        for _ in range(0, 4) {
+            let worker = queue.worker();
+            spawn(proc() { worker.run(|arg| arg * 2); });
+        }
+        b.iter(|| {
+            let _: Vec<int> =
+                range(0, 50)
+                .map(|_| queue.push(1))
+                .map(|rv| rv.recv())
+                .collect();
+        });
+    }
+
+    #[bench]
+    fn bench_spawn_5_workers(b: &mut BenchHarness) {
+        b.iter(|| {
+            let (queue, dispatcher) = WorkQueue::<int, int>();
+            spawn(proc() { dispatcher.run() });
+            for _ in range(0, 5) {
+                let worker = queue.worker();
+                spawn(proc() { worker.run(|arg| arg * 2); });
+            }
+        });
+    }
+}