“Enclosed is a check for $132, the amount after taxes of a COVID-19 lump sum bonus I recently received from the store where I work. This is supposed to be for working a ‘hazardous’ job, working in a place where we come into contact with large numbers of people,” Walmart worker Chuck Guerra wrote to the Socialist Workers Party from Miami in December.
“Meanwhile, many workers were exposed to unsanitary conditions, having to handle garbage for extended periods of time, and massive piles of garbage accumulating when the garbage compactor at the store broke down and the company failed to provide an alternative way to dispose of garbage.
“I refuse to accept this bribe,” he said, “and instead contribute it to building a party that encourages workers to fight.”
During the Christmas holiday season many bosses dispense bribes to their workers, hoping to buy their loyalty. Communists call this “blood money” — production, attendance, safety, holiday and other “bonuses” that bosses offer, seeking to get workers to keep quiet about speedup, rotten pay and unsafe conditions. Turning these attempted bribes into contributions to the Socialist Workers Party transforms them into helping to build a fighting working-class movement.
In addition to Guerra, over 50 workers at Walmart and other companies contributed over $6,000 in “blood money” to the SWP. You too can make the best use of your holiday bonus from the boss by donating it to the Socialist Workers Party. Send your contribution to 306 W. 37th St., 13th Floor, New York, NY 10018.