I Spy

Not that Northwest doesn't trust the employees or anything. Probably just concerned about morale. Provocation would be the furthest thing from their minds, you think? Knight-Ridder (07.30.05):

"Northwest Airlines Inc. has hired security guards to watch mechanics at Detroit Metro Airport as the airline and mechanics union approach an Aug. 20 strike deadline - a move that has escalated pressure in a tense environment. At the Northwest hub at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, security guards who appeared to be from Vance International Inc. videotaped flight attendants and mechanics who picketed a Northwest building there Wednesday, said Ted Ludwig, president of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association Local 33 in Bloomington, Minn." Northwest Airlines hires guards to watch mechanics at 2 airports

"It's unclear what Vance's role for Northwest would be or where its personnel would be stationed. Typically, Vance guards monitor picket lines with surveillance equipment. The guards gather information for possible use against unions in various legal actions." "Oakton, Va.-based Vance is known for its involvement in high-profile labor disputes, including the strike at the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press in the 1990s. The firm also played roles for the coal industry in several violent Appalachian strikes in the 1980s and 1990s." Ahhh yes. Good old Vance International: from coast to coast, taking names, kicking ass. UPS, well-known for their own brown shirts, hired Vance back in 1997. Chuck Vance, chairman and chief executive officer, said that its role was "to document violence by striking workers at some of its sites, primarily on the West Coast." On the other hand, as a UPS representative noted at the time, "the level of violence on the picket line is 'so low' at this point that the company is not considering hiring a security force such as [Vance]. But, she added, 'safety is important to us. We can't foresee what our needs may be in the future.'" Sound like Vance doesn't mind mixing it up. "Vance International is working for UPS only 'in a small capacity,' said Vance, a former Secret Service agent. But the company's role could increase if the strike drags on and becomes more violent. 'It's their call,' Vance said of UPS. 'They know our capabilities.'" If any of them Commie Socialist bastards get out of line, heads will be busted right quick! Goon squading Asset protection is good business. "Vance's army of helmeted, baton-wielding guards served on the front lines of the Detroit Newspapers strike and the Caterpillar Inc. strike in Illinois. That double duty helped Vance International post record revenue of $90 million in the fiscal year that ended April 30, 1996." Hey if Vance is good enough for Bush-Cheney '04 Inc., they're plenty good enough for us.