When Hollywood execs say that they'll wait until their writers/actors are losing their homes and starving to get them to come back to work, (bluffing or not,) they're laying bare the reason capitalists are so vehemently opposed to strong social policies;
If people don't have to work in order to ensure a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, good health, and food on their tables then corporations have zero means of coercing people to work in the unsafe, degrading, and/or meaningless jobs that facilitate profit for the owners and stockholders at the expense of everyone at the bottom of the organizational structure.
Strike funds are how unions help their members stay afloat for the duration of a strike. As long as they're not working, they ain't getting paid, and creditors and landlords don't take “I'm on strike” as an excuse. Unions also sometimes partner with a local food bank to provide food assistance to further soften the financial blow.
On a practical level, all of these measures also help reduce the incidence of scabbing. Mortgages/rent, credit card bills, ongoing health care, etc. all make very compelling arguments for crossing the picket line. The more members continue to have their basic needs met, the more of them will stand strong.
If you have some disposable income, and there's a union local near you that's on strike, ask them if they're accepting donations from non-members to their strike funds. Ask them if they have a public donation link (PayPal, GoFundMe, whatever) that you can share with friends/post on the internet.
