Vol. 75/No. 29      August 8, 2011

Below is a July 17 note from a factory worker in Iowa, sent in with a “blood money” contribution to the Socialist Workers Party’s Capital Fund. Class-conscious workers take “bonuses” and other bribes by bosses and put them to good use by giving them to this special fund, which makes possible long-term projects of the party. “Safety” bonuses—designed to keep workers silent about dangerous speedup and other unsafe conditions on the job—are a good example.

In the mail is a check from me for $25. This is blood money from the tire company I was working at. They mailed a bond for $25 and also $25 was added to my last check. I was told at the bank you have to wait a year to cash in a bond.

This “bonus” was supposedly for no injuries in a certain amount of days (the sign in front had it at well over 200). Most workers there know this is a lie. A coworker in the press department (where it gets to around 130 degrees) had a heart attack. His doctor said he had a thyroid condition and the heat caused this attack. Because it happened at home it’s not considered an on-the-job injury, and because he was there less than six months and was still on probation the company refused to move him to another department. He also had to pay out of pocket for the medical expenses. I had also heard of a supervisor breaking his arm by getting it caught in a machine. I’m sure there are many others.

—MAURA DELUCA