Sarkozy's union fight halts France

[Joanne98]

Source: CNN

PARIS, France (CNN) -- Traffic gridlock gripped the French capital Wednesday as President Nicolas Sarkozy's promised labor reforms went head to head with transport and utility unions who have launched an open-ended nationwide strike.


An anti-strike militant, left, argues with strikers at Saint Lazare train station in Paris.

One in 15 subway trains and about 15 percent of buses were operating Wednesday but the strike halted commuter trains around the Paris area, stranding many suburban commuters.

Roads into the city were jammed as commuters turned to their cars. "I'm fed up with this," said one woman at Saint Lazare train station, where electronic boards informed passengers of severe disruptions to service.

Seven labor unions went on strike Tuesday evening, angry over Sarkozy's plans to reform pensions.



Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/14/france.strikes/?iref=mpstoryview

---

Then Shock Doctrine comes to France!!!!!!

[Joanne98]

1. Strike halts French rail, commuter traffic; unions fight Sarkozy plans

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gS0oaVJ0Xp1_jpeCFYsHDk-l3vjQ

Strike halts French rail, commuter traffic; unions fight Sarkozy plans
12 hours ago

PARIS - Strikers shut down train traffic across France at the start of new protests against President Nicolas Sarkozy's attempts to check the power of French unions.

The open-ended rail strike started Tuesday night and Paris transit workers were joining the walkout Wednesday. University students and other workers were also putting pressure on Sarkozy's government with their own strikes.

The question is who will give way first: Sarkozy or trade unions protesting against his plans to eliminate rules that allow train drivers and certain other public service workers to retire early?

Sarkozy insists the rules are outdated, unfair and too costly. Several opinion surveys have suggested Sarkozy has public support.

Labour Minister Xavier Bertrand was meeting with unions. Sarkozy, meanwhile, pledged not to back down, stressing "his determination to carry out this reform," presidential spokesman David Martinon said.

Train traffic slowed to a halt across France and the SNCF rail network said only 15 to 20 per cent of trains on major lines would run during the strike. The rail network said traffic would likely be disrupted through the weekend and urged travellers to postpone trips.

With Paris transit workers set to join in, the capital's public transit authority RATP predicted there would be almost no trains on most subway routes starting Wednesday. Only one line - the north-south line 14 - was expected to run normally because it is automated.

Parisians were firming up contingency plans. Accountant Xavier Basset was preparing for a six-kilometre walk across Paris to his office.

"I'll work on my calves," he said.

Other Parisians will likely share cars, stay home or rent one of the more than 10,000 bikes recently installed around the capital. They proved extremely popular during another transit strike last month, when the number of daily users doubled to 180,000.

Organizers said they plan to dispatch 260 workers armed with metal cutters to snip the padlocks of people who may try to hog the bikes all day. The bikes are designed to be used for short trips, as rental prices skyrocket as the clock ticks - which is usually enough to deter riders from hoarding the bikes, although not on strike days.

Motorcycle taxis, able to weave through snarled traffic, also looked like a good solution. Managers for two motorcycle taxi services said they were completely booked through early Friday.

Employees of state-run electricity, gas and other services are expected to join the strike. Electricity workers said they would cut power at local offices of Sarkozy's UMP party and they also plan "Robin Hood" operations - restoring power to households that cannot afford their electricity bills.

The Comedie Francaise theatre and Paris National Opera - whose employees also stand to be affected by the pension reforms - cancelled Wednesday performances.

As of Tuesday, students at 26 of France's 85 universities have voted to go on strike, said UNEF, the leading student union. Students are protesting against a new law giving public universities the right to raise tuition and accept private donations.

Students wielding metal bars kept administrators from entering buildings Tuesday at a university in the northwestern city Rennes, where protests suspended classes.

In Nanterre, in Paris's western suburbs, protesters clashed with riot police who fired tear gas. Police succeeded in opening doors to the university, though classes remained cancelled.
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gS0oaVJ0Xp1_jpeCFYsHDk-l3vjQ

[rodeodance]

2. I heard him say he was elected on a mandate. Sound familiar?

[LeftishBrit]

3. That's the thing about France..

People are far more willing to protest/strike against government policies there than in many other places; and I think it does keep a certain check on government power. Sarkozy will never be able to be 'The Decider' in the same sense as Bush.

[Demeter]

4. Fight Fiercely, Frenchmen and Women!

Show us how to do it!

[bdamomma]

14. show us how to do it is correct, how do you teach people

who are afraid of their government, out in France the government is afraid of the people.

[bemildred]

5. Sarkozy should bone up on French history, say the period around 1789. nt

[happyslug]

8. 1934-1941 would be better

The popular Front (1936-1938):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_Front_(France)

http://www.humaniteinenglish.com/article180.html

France 1940:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France

In many ways, the reason France lost in 1940, was the Right Wing REFUSED to permit France to re-arm while the Popular Front was in Power. Basically nothing happened till the Right Wing was back in power in 1938 (and thus could control WHO ran re-armament). Thus France lost two years in the Race to Re-arm, that Hitler started in 1934.

Thus when France declared war on Germany in September 1939, it was NOT ready for war, and would NOT be ready till 1941. France needed another year to get ready. In fact the betrayal of Czechoslovakia was to give France and Britain time to Re-arm. France was four years behind Hitler in re-arming, and needed three years to get back to where it could be to fight Hitler. In many ways, Hitler attacks in 1939 and 1940, when Germany was NOT yet at full Strength, but when the difference in Strength between France and Germany was at its largest extent.

France in the mid 1930s was suffering from the same problems it is now, a fight between the Left and Right over where France shall go. You had a near Civil ar situation in the mid 1930s and now e have strikes. France is NOT yet where it was in the mid-1930s, but if France is not careful (and they appear NOT to be) France is headed for a similar situations as what happened in the mid 1930s.

[bemildred]

9. It doesn't appear to me that the Nazis, or anything like the Nazis

are threatening France at the moment. No offense. This is domestic politics, and class war, like in 1789, although you can find plenty of differences with that too.

[happyslug]

10. But the problem between 1934 and 1938 was internal

And that internal dispute weakened France so it fell to Hitler in 1940. My point was NOT someone may invade France, but that this will weaken France is ways no one could foresee (For example, no one in 1936 though Germany could take France on and win in 1936 when Hitler re-occupied the Rhineland, in fact even the German Army knew they would be driven out within days of any French intervention).

My point was NOT THAT someone is threatening France at the present time, Hitler was NOT threating France either in 1936. In fact France pulled out of its fight between left and Right do to the threat of Hitler by 1938. Hitler actually forced left and right to work together from about 1938 onward (But it was to late). Remember that France did most of the damage to itself in a fight between left and right DECLARED by the Right to put the working class in its place. Now the situation was more complex then a simple left-right fight, but most disputes are, just like this one.

An internal Fight will Weaken France Internally, more economically than in any military sense. The big question of the 1930s what would have happened had Hitler NOT appear on the horizon and forced both left and right to work together? I fear that is what will happen this time. Along term fight where everyone loses.

[bemildred]

11. Internal disputes may always be said to weaken a nation, in certain senses anyway.

Which is why intelligent rulers (unlike Sarkozy or King Louis XVI) are mindful to avoid provoking them. You are correct on the history of the 30s, as I understand it, but I don't see that that means seeing this as a class dispute is wrong.

[happyslug]

12. It is a class dispute, but my point was it weaken France AND IS NOT NEEDED

Sarkozy should NOT be doing this, maintaining unity is much more important than any potential financial gain. This type of dispute ending up knocked France out of WWII and Costing France's upper middle Class to lose more then they ever gained. The same thing can occur here, cost France to lose more then she may gain. Not worth the fight if you look at the long term.

[bemildred]

13. I can agree with that.

Like the way class-warfare has weakened this country so much since the Raygun Devolution began, with no real purpose other than to give yet more money to people that already have far too much. The strongest period in our national history had 90% tax rates, but nobody ever wants to talk about that ...

[happyslug]

15. And a 50% discount for long term investments.

Thus if you received the income as wages, you had to pay 90%, but if you received it as Capital Gains only 50% of that income was taxed at 90%. The 50% disregard applied ONLY to long term Investments, i.e. investments you held on to for five or more years, but in the income tax groups subject to the 90% ta rate, it is the primary source of Income.

Please note, the 90% was the MARGINAL rate, not the over all rate. Income Tax is progressive in that the Income tax RATE goes up once the income goes above income amounts set by Congress. Thus the ENTIRE INCOME OF a person subject to the 90% rate is NOT taxed at 90%. Instead it is only the amount of Income above a set income that is taxed at 90%. During WWII the 90% rate ONLY applied to income over $200,000. Lower Income people paid less. Given that privates earned only $50 a month or $600 a year, you can see HOW much $200,000 was a year in 1943 (The pay of over 333 Privates in the US Army).

WWII pay rates:
http://www.rinfret.com/ww2pay.html

Top IRS Tax Rates through the years:
http://www.truthandpolitics.org/top-rates.php

Now one of the reason for the High Tax rate (FDR originally wanted 100% top rate) was to encourage people with money to keep their money invested. Thus if the rich kept their money invested for the duration of WWII, the investment was subject to the 50% long term Capital Gain disregard. This high rates continued till the 1960s, along with the 50% Long term Capital gain disregard. This all ended starting under Nixon, but Reagan rewrote it, ending Long Term Capital Gain treatment when he lower top rates to 35%.

[bemildred]

16. "Now one of the reason for the High Tax rate (FDR originally wanted 100% top rate)

was to encourage people with money to keep their money invested."

Exactly. And one of the effects of low marginal rates is to encourage the sort of vandalism and rapine one sees today at the pinnacles of corporate power, and the dismal record of disinvestment that we have seen since the aforementioned Raygun "reforms", and those that have since followed.

[xchrom]

6. i hope that sarkozy's ''plans'' begin to

make more of france think about his ''plans'' for ''reforms''.

these ''reforms'' will certainly help those who aren't in need of them -- but will do little to elp those who do.

as usual -- certain people think that the way out of their post industrial problems is to put more pressure on the middle, working and pooer classes.

the problem remains with -- not just in the u.s -- bad trade negotitions with countries like china and india -- but attempts to dip into the money pool that really makes a country tick.

oh well -- we'll see.

[LibertyorDeath]

7. Gawd I love the French.

[Delphinus]

17. The Shock Doctrine ...

Yes, let me tell you that was my first thought when I heard about this.

Then, when I heard he said he was at peace or feeling serene (something like that), I wanted to puke.