Last month, a 48-hour strike by Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro bus drivers left hundreds of thousands of people unable to get to and from work, while civil police in 14 states went on a 24-hour work stoppage demanding higher wages. The police strike affected at least six cities that will host World Cup games: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Salvador, Manaus, Recife and Belo Horizonte.
Federal police agents, who oversee immigration at international airports, and state police officers responsible for keeping order on the streets have said they may strike during the World Cup despite an injunction from the Supreme Court ordering them not to halt work during the tournament.
The authorities and courts haven't shown any ability to force public workers in services essential to the World Cup to show up for their jobs.
A judge had ordered Sao Paulo's train operators to work at full capacity during rush hours and at 70 percent capacity in off hours. Union members voted to go ahead with the strike anyway, disdaining the judge's order that the union be fined $44,000 each day it ignores the ruling.
The union said on its website the strike would continue until officials met its demand for a pay hike of at least 10 percent. The Sao Paulo state government company that runs the subway system has offered an 8.7 percent increase.
The strikes have overshadowed earlier worries about disruptions from protests fed by anger over the billions spent to host the World Cup while Brazil's schools, health system and public transit have widespread problems.
Last year, huge protests took over streets in dozens of cities during the Confederations Cup, which is international soccer's warm-up tournament for the World Cup. On just one night, a million people were out in the streets across Brazil to join in demonstrations.
Violent clashes between young protesters and police erupted at many of last year's protests, and threats by some groups to organize demonstrations during the World Cup raised concerns about security during the tournament.
But while there have been almost daily protests in the weeks before the tournament, the marches have been far smaller than a year ago.
The subway strike in Sao Paulo illustrated the potential for disruptions during the World Cup. The more than 3.5 million people who use the city's public transit systems on weekdays faced chaos as only three of the five subway lines operated, and with limited service.
"It is opportunism. They want a pay raise and are using the World Cup as a tool," said Pedro Araujo, an annoyed truck driver. "Yes, we want to fight for our rights and for what is fair, but not like this, affecting everyone."
