Only one month before the World Cup, hosted by Brazil, is set to start, organized labor in the country have organized a series of strikes to protest poor working conditions and for higher pay. The collective actions are planned to span the major cities of Brazil and to last up to and including the June 12 kickoff. Police, teachers, transportation workers, other public employees, the cities? homeless, political activists and many others are taking to the streets in protest. In cases where the police have left their jobs to protest, the army has been mobilized to keep the peace, but in the most violent event, at least 17 people were reported dead before emergency forces arrived. It is estimated that more than one million Brazilians have taken part in the protests already.
See "In Brazil, labor protests ramp up as World Cup nears", Vincent Bevins, Los Angeles Times, May 18, 2014