Whether you think Wal-Mart is a talisman of neighborhood destroying corporate evil or a place to get reasonably priced consumer goods, one thing is now undeniable: they’re having a bit of labor trouble. Unions have been able to organize strikes in stores and warehouses in California and now they’re looking to expand the strikes to stores across the country on that holiest of shopping days, Black Friday. If you want to be a part of it without joining a picket line, you can now help sponsor a striking worker.
One problem facing the strikers is that no one gets rich working retail, which means that striking workers are facing the prospect of either fighting for their rights or trying to make money during the holiday season. But the Stand Up, Live Better Fund has stepped in to make the strike a little less devastating for retail workers, with a WePay fundraiser to provide strikers with grocery gift cards.
For $50, you can sponsor the cost of a grocery gift card for a striker, with smaller donations doing their part and getting pooled together for more gift cards. Aside from the 2.9 percent that WePay takes off the top, Stand Up, Live Better is promising that all of the money raised will go towards supporting the strikers. There’s no cap to the donations, and unlike a traditional Kickstarter, you don’t get a reward, aside from your own satisfaction. But if you’ve ever railed against the idea of Wal-Mart coming to your town, this is probably a good cause to give your dollars to.