... there must be a protest in Paris. Actually, it would be more accurate to say, "If the earth is still spinning, then there must be a protest somewhere in Paris." This one inched its way oh-so-slowly through our neighborhood on Boulevard Montparnasse yesterday.
For an American, this is very novel behavior to observe because labor unions are so weak in the U.S. Here in France, labor unions are very powerful. They frequently stage demonstrations like this one including thousands of workers. And they aren't open-ended strikes. They just seem to be isolated and helpful reminders so that employers know that there remains a balance of power.
Market fundamentalists mock this arrangement while pointing and laughing at France for its lack of labor market fungibility. But democracy fans should applaud it for the "checks and balances" effect against unilateral power.
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