23 Arrested In Protest At Pico Rivera Walmart
PICO RIVERA (CBSLA.com/AP) — Police arrested dozens of people protesting working conditions and wages at a Walmart in Pico Rivera Thursday after they allegedly refused to move from an intersection they were blocking.
Officers took 23 people into custody around 6:30 p.m. in the 8500 block of Washington Boulevard when they inhibited traffic at Washington and Paramount boulevards, sheriff's Lt. Alex Villanueva said.
They were ordered to disperse and "given ample opportunity to comply," Villanueva said.
Those detained were cited and released.
There also were reports of some Walmart workers, with mouths symbolically taped shut, staging sit-down strikes at other Los Angeles-area Walmarts.
A group supported by the United Food & Commercial Workers union are demanding a minimum wage of $15 an hour and full-time work for employees of the nation's largest retailer.
An email to Walmart representatives seeking comment late Thursday night wasn't immediately returned.
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
