Wednesday, March 08, 2023
The French on Strike
Just after college, I found myself in Paris on a summer day. It was hard not to notice, though, the turmoil in the city-- there was some kind of big strike going on that turned into a riot, complete with some level of violence and injury.
I finally asked someone (who spoke English) what was going on. He explained, as if it was a normal thing, that the travel agents were rioting because of a new tax on trips outside the country.
Now, they are striking over a plan to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62. French workers enjoy 35-hour workweeks and at least five weeks of vacation a year, which is not unusual for Europe (which, notably, is full of very productive economies and some of the world's happiest populations).
There is a 0% chance I will retire by 64 (or would want to), so it all seems pretty theoretical. I kind of get it, though. When workers win something, it requires a lot of work to protect it. In the United States, workers gave up a lot by voting against unions (both at work and at the polls), and those advantages aren't coming back.
It would be a lot easier to chide the French if it weren't for the fact that their economy is very successful, their culture influences the world, and their capitol is the most-visited city in the world. They are doing something right-- and policing the rules that establish the boundaries protecting balance lives doesn't seem so crazy in that context.
