What it is and what it could be for Washington State nurses.

What is a strike fund?

Unions like the Teamsters or UAW maintain strike funds to support members who are on strike. Funds are sourced from member dues and members need to be in good standing and show up on the picket line to get paid.

Once upon a time, strike pay may have covered a striking worker’s pay almost entirely. But today, it is meant to help with essentials and cover healthcare benefits that may be lost during an extended strike.

A strike fund can also be a preventative tool—if an employer knows a union has a healthy strike fund, it gives workers leverage at the table.

Do nurses unions run strike funds?

Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), an affiliate of AFT, maintains and administers a union-wide strike hardship fund for its members. The first policy on a strike fund appears to have been approved in 2010 and a copy of the most current ONA Strike Fund policy can be found here.

On December 30, 2024, nearly 5,000 healthcare workers represented by ONA issued a 10-day strike notice to Providence and began soliciting funds from the community through GoFundMe.

They raised $162,853 for emergency and essential support of members, including picket line operating expenses.

The strike ended after 46 days, with all 8 bargaining units voting overwhelmingly to ratify their contracts and end the strike.

What about unions without existing funds?

New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), an affiliate of NNU, set up a strike hardship fund to support the over 15,000 NYC nurses currently on an open-ended strike as of January 12, 2026.

Based on information available on their website, it doesn’t appear that NYSNA or NNU operate a standing strike fund, so this is likely a new endeavor for NYSNA in light of the scale of the current strike.

Donations are also collected from the community directly through NYSNA instead of a GoFundMe page.

Why don’t we have a strike fund?

That’s a great question!

Rank-and-file union nurses in Washington State have long advocated for the establishment of a strike hardship fund very similar to ONA’s.

In order to operate a strike fund, we need a fiscal sponsor to administer it, ideally our union.

Both ONA/AFT and NYSNA/NNU have shown it’s possible to maintain a strike fund and also sponsor one in short order.

What can we do as rank-and-file?

We can organize.

Talk to each other and contact a strike captain on your unit to get involved.