Well, she IS the Material Girl

Labor activists are upset that Madonna has been crossing picket lines at the Forum to rehearse for her upcoming humungous concert. IATSE Local 33 is holding the picket line; IATSE 33, SEIU 1877 (janitors) and Operating Engineers 501 have joined in support.

But maybe they're barking up the wrong pop star tree. Madonna, who is from the onetime labor stronghold of Michigan, has left the US for England and adopted a bizarre accent to obscure her youthful origins. As a live performer, she doesn't have much time left for spandex-clad stage-romping: she'll be 48 this August. Could she possibly cave to labor pressures, just because it's the morally right thing to do? Or will her own interests come first?

Maybe the protestors should have listened to this little Madonna ditty for a hint:

They can beg and they can plead
But they can't see the light, that's right
'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash
Is always Mister Right, 'cause we are
Living in a material world
And I am a material girl