A non-violent protest over working conditions at the warehouse of a Walmart supplier resulted in more than a dozen arrests Monday.
Riot police arrested 17 peaceful Walmart protesters in Elwood, Ill., the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The protesters were some of the 600 people taking part in the rally, which was organized by Warehouse Workers for Justice. The protesters were supporting the employees of a warehouse in Elwood, Illinois, which is operated by an outside contractor that supplies Walmart stores, according to Reuters.
The workers have been on strike since September protesting their working conditions. The 17 protesters who were arrested were blocking the warehouse's entrance by sitting in the middle of the road, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Walmart outsources much of its warehouse work to save money, but this has come at a cost to workers, according to a recent report by the National Employment Law Project. These contractors pay low wages and often violate labor laws, according to the report.
Walmart has been criticized for other labor practices as well. Walmart workers aren't unionized and many Walmart workers are paid very low wages. Meanwhile, Walmart's profits are booming.
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