What isn't appreciated is the long-term harm this does to France in general. I hesitate to put all my vacation marbles in France because, overnight, they could all be ruined. I even hesitate to fly AirFrance. Unfortunately, so many strikers fail to see that their own piece of the pie may diminish if the overall size of the pie diminishes due to people like me not spending money due to the history of strikes. In most of America, the following attitude seems to prevail a bit more:
1. If that job is so bad, then quit. Yes, people feel "invested" in jobs, but "Then leave" is often the quick retort.
2. When lower workers have too much power, the vision of the company gets watered down.
Walt, rather famously, spent less time working on animation once the cartoonists strike hit the studio in the 40's. After that, he focused on the world's fairs, TV, Disneyland, Imagineering, and the live action movies. His animation vision was being compromised by the unions, so he all but left it. Yes, some managers are short-sighted bullies who need to be reined in, but most bosses just want to do a good job, and the aggressive unions often prevent that from happening.
In this situation, striking for worker safety is an appropriate complaint. In America, one call to OSHA and/or the insurance company will take care of it. Strikes aren't needed. I guess that makes me wonder why the threat of Government Safety Agencies and insurance companies are insufficient to avert the stoppages in France.
