Popular and sometimes controversial streamer Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker has raised over $126,000 towards strike funds after dropping his new merch line.
HasanAbi’s first-ever merch line features a t-shirt supporting unions, with faceless workers holding up signs and megaphones. The shirt went up for pre-sale a few days ago, with HasanAbi stating that all profits would go to strike funds. The orders will ship in December.
Even though there is still a month left to pre-order the t-shirt, HasanAbi has revealed that over $126,000 has been raised in just over a day. That means at least 3,600 t-shirts were sold that night. HasanAbi shared the news on Instagram and then Twitch.
“This is a ridiculous amount of money for such a short period of time,” HasanAbi said. “That was pretty wonderful.”
What is a strike fund?
A strike fund is a reserve that’s set up by a union ahead of time so that workers on strike can still get paid. It can also fund strike-related activities.
There are many companies with employees on strike right now, whether it’s due to stressful working conditions as a result of the global health crisis or a demand for higher pay. Kellogg’s currently has 14,000 employees on strike after many were told to work extended hours. John Deere has 10,000 employees on strike while they demand higher pay. Thousands of healthcare workers and people working in Hollywood’s entertainment industry have also gone on strike over the past few months, to name just a few examples.
This is something that HasanAbi has been vocal about in the past, including when he first announced his merch.
“I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just regular Chinese factory drop shipping merch.” HasanAbi said, “So what I wanted to do was make sure it was unionized, domestically manufactured, and also that the art was sick.”
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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