What is a “strike fund”?
In “traditional” labor unions like Teamsters or UAW, a strike fund is maintained to support striking workers’ needs as long as they’re in good standing (they pay their dues) and are active in the strike (on the picket line and/or a strike committee).
This is often interpreted as replacement income and is sourced from member’s dues. It is also a preventative tool—if an employer knows a union has a healthy strike fund, it gives workers leverage at the table.
WSNA does not maintain a strike fund for local bargaining units, but we could—and should!
What could a strike fund look like?
A good example we could model off of is the 2024 ONA strike. They operated a strike hardship fund to support members most in need of financial support during the strike and solicited funds from the community using GoFundMe. They have a policy document describing on how to administer the funds, as well.
This is not a strike fund in the traditional sense, but a hardship fund with criteria meant to support members of our local who are at risk of crossing the picket line for financial reasons. A strike hardship fund could be a particularly effective method of weathering the time from the start of a strike to the start of unemployment benefits.
Seattle Nurses Labor Caucus 