“Enclosed is the ‘blood money’ bribe I got from Walmart for $489.03,” wrote Chris Hoeppner from Philadelphia. “Use the money to build the Socialist Workers Party. They cut hours and are increasing the workload to massively increase their profits and they figure we’ll keep quiet if they pass us some cash.
“Going to work and discussing with workers and those shopping what we need to do in face of the depression-level layoffs has become intense,” Hoeppner said. “Sharing experiences with other workers on what we can do to strengthen the bonds of solidarity among workers, farmers and small shopkeepers in the face of this deepening capitalist crisis and the bosses’ attempt to isolate us from each other is more and more enjoyable.”
“We’ve discussed, ‘Why not put millions of workers back to work building the hospitals, housing and infrastructure we need, instead of billions to bail out the bosses?’” he continued. “Several raised with me the need to reopen Hahnemann Hospital here, which the bosses closed last year because it wasn’t profitable enough.”
From Montreal, Walmart worker Beverly Bernardo sent in $4,295.36 in “bonuses” paid by the company to her and eight other Walmart workers there in March and April. “I look forward to being able to put to good use this ‘blood money,’” she wrote.
Communists use the term “blood money” to describe production, attendance, safety and other so-called bonuses bosses offer, hoping to get workers to keep quiet about speedup, low pay and unsafe working conditions. These contributions to the SWP turn attempted bribes by the bosses into helping to build a fighting working-class party.
Two Walmart workers from Miami sent contributions totaling $355.84. “In the store where I am,” Cindy Jaquith wrote, “workers are tired of being told we can’t take breaks because we’re ‘too busy.’”