“Enclosed are three checks totaling $374 from bonuses retail workers recently received in their paychecks,” wrote Eli French from Seattle. “This is more ‘blood money’ our boss uses to try and convince workers that we all have a stake in the company. We gladly contribute this to help the work of the Socialist Workers Party.”
Communists use the term “blood money” to describe production, attendance, safety and other so-called bonuses the bosses give in an effort to bribe workers to keep quiet about speedup, low pay and unsafe working conditions.
By giving this money to the Socialist Workers Party’s Capital Fund, class-conscious workers turn those bribes into their opposite — funds to build the working-class movement and strengthen the party’s long-term work.
In September, 29 contributors sent $2,970.10 to the SWP from blood money bribes. Some are “My Share” bonuses from Walmart.
“Enclosed is a $17.11 bonus,” wrote Milly Townsend in Albany, New York. “It’s a pleasure to give this bribe to the party. I have a job that requires working on my knees to stock shelves, but it took months to get the company to give me a set of kneepads. The bosses justify this lack of protective equipment in the name of ‘controlling costs.’”
To donate blood money your boss tries to bribe you with to the party, contact the Socialist Workers Party branch nearest you, listed in the directory.