Walmart workers face riot police

Wow, considering the tight relationship between Michelle Obama and Wal-Mart, (http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/01/20/...) why or why hasn't she condemned this???

Yes, it's a rhetorical question.

A private security force employeed by one of the nation's largest corporations using a state of the art sound weapon against striking workers? And the POTUS is AWOL. Gee maybe this would make a good debate question?? That will be the day...

I have been thinking about Monsanto's purchase of Blackwater, now Xe(?). I had images of the private military being used against poor farmers, in places like India, if they won't do business with Monsanto. I thought it would happen in poor countries, not here. I did not think they could get away with it here. Now I think they can.

This is so absurd:

""Elwood police Chief Fred Hayes said he asked for the team’s assistance to make sure the protest didn’t escalate. (note - I think this refers to the Sheriff's team.)

“Police officers always have to prepare for the worst thing that could possibly happen,” he said.

Among those arrested were Will County Board member Jackie Traynere, the Rev. Craig Purchase of Mount Zion Tabernacle Church in Joliet, the Rev. Raymond Lescher of Sacred Heart Church in Joliet and Charlotte Droogan, lay minister at Universalist Unitarian Church of Joliet.""

The 'escalation' always seems to come from the police. You gotta watch out for those white haired people, ministers and people who sit down in peaceful protest!

Apparently, this is the third week of the strike? This is the first I've heard of it. Chicago media is virtually silent on this strike, though they will cover teacher's strikes with fervor. Googled the strike and found only very recent coverage in the Tribune and Crain's, probably only due to the national attention the strike is getting.

To see people who have only worked for the company for 3 months having "seniority" and striking for better conditions is sickening, and a sign of just how bad things are out there.

As someone who works in retail and once made inquiries into unionizing at another big-box chain, I hope the attention grows and these people succeed. Cut off the supply chain. The greatest risk is the company spreading the work to other distribution centers and abandoning the Elwood location. They face an incredible challenge and I wish all the right stars will align in their favor.