Union Strikes in May?
 

This morning I was listening to NPR and there was a snippet on Sarkozy wanting to increase the age for retirement. There was a bit that stated that one labor union or authority has already committed to a strike on May 15, more were expected.

Has anyone heard anything more on this ? I am going to arrive in Paris on the 14th of May and after hearing stories from my friend who was there in November during the last transit strike, the last thing I'd like is to have no transit or have museums or whatever on strike!

Anyway, if anyone knows anything more please inform me!

This BBC news article mentions it too:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7371285.stm

We arrive for our first ever Paris trip May 16! Hope they can get it sorted out. :(

A pity they don't do it like they do in the Netherlands - here when there is a dispute (right now)the buses run, but they are free on certain days. The drivers don't stamp strippenkaarts or sell tickets. The public benefit, the employers suffer, solution found quickly(hopefully) and with a minimum of pain all round.
I hope they get it resolved for you both, and anyone else visiting Paris at that time.

Can someone provide more info on what happened during the last strike? If transit is on strike, does that include taxis and shuttles? I arrive in Paris on the morning of May 15. Any insight into what the impact will be if this does occur would be greatly appreciated so I can plan ahead accordingly.

Thanks!

This happened to us on one trip. Taxis were very hard to get inside of Paris, but were available at the airport. We arranged for a private shuttle service which we reserved just 1 day prior from CDG into Paris. It worked out just fine. The very few metros which ran were so full we couldn't get inside. Few buses either. We walked alot:)

1. The trade unions will gauge their strength for the upcoming period by the number of participants at the union marches on Labor Day (May 1st). Since only 8% of French workers are unionized, they have to count on non-union workers wanting to march as well, and they have absolutely no control over them or information regarding their intentions.

2. This is the 40th anniversary of the world famous May 1968 movements, and there will be much commemoration. This will either be a harmless way for people to vent, or else it will inspire them to recreate 1968, especially since there is a major student movement underway -- before the school holidays, there were between 20,000 and 50,000 high school students marching in the streets of Paris every day. We'll see what happens next week.

3. There are no public service strikes planned at the moment. It is currently the private sector that is beginning to wake up and go on strike over salary issues.

>This is the 40th anniversary of the world famous May 1968 movements,...<

Ah yes. Like the Tet Offensive that same year, it was a failure. However, it changed society.

For some folks, 1968 was the high point of their lives.

I expect that the usual suspects will be out in force. :)

((I))

Ira, I got married in 1969, so guess that year was my high point ;>)

On the evening news in France tonight, the following two dates were mentioned, which may be of interest to some of you:

15 May - student demonstrations
22 May - day of industrial action

The first date should not bother many people, unless you end up in the middle of a march. Uncontrolled elements in recent student activities have engaged in a little bit of rioting and looting, leading to a tad of tear gas and other unpleasantness.

The second date will probably mean some transportation disruptions.

thanks for this extra information,

I do have a ticket to Troyes on the 22nd so hopefully i will still be able to take that trip!

we will see i suppose!

Do you think the 22nd will include airport/plane disruption? We have an Easyjet flight to Milan on the 24th.

We are scheduled to arrive in Paris early on the 17th. Cross fingers. Last time I arrived in Paris there was a huge transit strike (riots circa 2006). It meant a very poor introduction to the city via a taxi that eventually just dumped us off "somewhere" - I still don't know where....due to traffic standstill. Other than heightened security and the University area being sectioned off - no problems.

Ahhh Paris.

Naxos

Thanks Kerouac,
Please keep us posted. As long as I can get from the airport to my hotel, I'm happy to walk anywhere.

May be a stupid question, but is Day of Industrial Action just one day?

Jane

I'm so curious about the Europeans and their strikes! Americans generally thinks of strikes as unacceptable. Part of me thinks it would be absolutely fascinating to be there during one, but most of me is crossing her fingers hoping that it doesn't happen! If the strike happens before we leave for Alsace on May 21 it wouldn't be so bad, as we could just stay in Paris (a mixed blessing!). If it happens after, though, I'm worried we may have trouble getting back to Paris for our return flight.

For those who have been there during a strike, what happened? Besides walking a lot, how else did you have to adjust?

I was in Paris for the first time in 1984 and there was a strike by the baggage handlers at the airport on the day of our departure. We weren't told anything when we boarded the plane. We sat for hours on the tarmac wondering why there were police all around the aircraft. We were told that the workers refused to load the luggage and we had to get off the plane because the flight was canceled. It took several days before the airlines could get us home. Normally,I would have been delighted to have a longer vacation, but I was feeling so sick that all I wanted to do was to get home quickly.

I heard the date of May 26th for possible strikes.

Anyone have any information on it??

Thanks.....

No information on that. Which sector would be striking?

I just checked again, and the only strikes scheduled are still just on the 15th and 22nd.

Hm, so if someone had to guess, "some transportation disruptions" would mean what exactly?

No one ever knows ahead of time, since most French workers do not belong to a union and even if they do, there is no union dictatorship -- you go on strike or you don't, depending on your mood. That's what makes French strikes so unpredictable.

Basically, the success or failure of the May 22 strike depends on what happens on the May 15 strike. The May 15 strike is considered to be a school strike mostly, so that is the main thing to watch. School teachers are very irritated about certain issues, true or not, regarding reduced budgets and larger class sizes, planned by the government (or not).

Anyway, if most schools are closed on the 15th, this will incite more people to strike on the 22nd, and that's when the trains, metro and other transportation might be seriously disrupted (or not). It's a day by day process and nobody has a crystal ball.

And that's what worries tourists.

Besides this forum, where is a good place to get updated information on the internet regarding this?

I'll be in Paris from the 15th of May, leaving the 23rd, but need to travel back to a hotel at the airport on the 22nd. Just want to make sure I have the latest info well ahead of time.

Thanks for the update.

Thanks for all the insight! I guess we'll all just wait and see, eh?

The French TV news is the best place for information if you are in France. I would say the radio as well, but if you don't speak French, it wouldn't help. On TV they show percentages of train service and things like that on the screen, sorted by Paris train station of SNCF region.

Tomorrow's strike is mostly schools. No transportation disruptions are expected -- that'll be next week!

Paris train station OR SNCF region (Alsace, Provence-Côte d'Azur, etc.)

Add me to the list of "concerned" travelers soon to be in Paris. We fly in on Monday, May 19th, and fly out on Sunday, May 25th.

Kerouac....we'd really appreciate any updates you can give us after you see what happens tomorrow! You are a godsend, being "on the inside", so you can keep us informed!

I'm bringing my cousin with me, who has never been out of the U.S. before. She has been so, so excited about the trip....I sure hope it can still be what she is anticipating!

Had planned a daytrip out to Versailles one day. Should we try to squeeze that in quickly, maybe Tuesday or Wednesday, just to be safe....before the 22nd? We're staying just around the corner from the Louvre, so we can walk to most places, if transportation does stop....just so we don't miss our trip to Versailles!

According to reports from you folks that experienced the past strikes, it doesn't look like there would be too much danger of getting stranded when it's time to come home. Sounds like it's mostly just an inconvenience getting around while we're there....is that right?

Keeping my fingers crossed for all of us Fodorites that are headed there this week or next!

For those who can plan ahead, I would not plan any trip that requires rail or bus transportation on May 22nd.

On the other hand, whatever is running will be running free on that day.

: )

Just my luck. We have TGV tickets on the 22nd. Paris to Nice.

Obviously, I am pretty concerned. Our apartment rental ends on May 22 and our b&b stay in St-Paul-de-Vence starts that day.

Since these plans are already booked (tickets in hand, etc.) and fast approaching, does anyone have any suggestions? Should we book a rental car?

Yikes. I'm glad I got the heads up on this forum.

ttttt

The unions at Air France and the SNCF have now filed their official strike notifications for May 22nd.

Bummer!

Oh well, at least it's not a total surprise....we've had time to get used to the idea. Thanks again, kerouac, for the info.

In your experience, during a strike of this sort, are the taxis usually still running? And, will AirFrance being on strike affect British Airways service? As much as I'd love to spend more time in Paris, we really can't afford to....

Why on earth would taxis be on strike? They have nothing to do with the SNCF or Air France.

British Airways shouldn't be affected unless there is an ATC movement as well. "Predictions" on service in various areas probably won't be made until next Monday or Tuesday.

By that time, we'll be there, so will just have to deal with it! We just really can't afford to get stranded, since we travel on a shoestring budget, so it does cause a bit of concern (paranoia).

Guess the taxi worry came from remembering the first time I was in Paris, 1994, when the taxis WERE on strike. I can still see them parked all around CDG, and not moving. I wasn't sure what other transportation groups might join the strike in sympathy and support, so that's what prompted my question.

As long as we scoot out to Versailles "pre-strike", can get taxis and/or walk to whatever we want to see in town, and as long as British Airways is still functioning and can get us home on the 25th, I'm guessing we should be fine. Will think positive, anyway!

Thanks again, kerouac!

And of course we are flying out on Air France on the 25th (or at least we hope we're flying out!). We are going to be in Alsace when the strike begins, and we have TGV tickets to return to Paris the 24th. We'll have a car while in Alsace. I wonder if we should just try to see if we can drive the car back to Paris instead of counting on the train.

Wow, this starting to make me nervous!

This is just a one day strike with no plans for extension.

The RATP unions (Paris metro, RER, bus, tramway) have also filed their strike notice for 22 May.

Well, I booked a rental car as a backup. Now I just have to figure out how to get us to gare Lyon on the 22nd!

We are leaving Paris via Deutschbahn from Gare L'Est on May 22, So would getting to the Metro station be the only problem I might encouter? This strike would not effect other rail systems correct?

dglaess - According to this, SNCF (includes TGV) trains are also affected...

PARIS (Thomson Financial) - French rail unions have joined their counterparts at Air France in calling for a strike on May 22 as part of a protest against government plans for pensions reform, Agence France-Presse reported, citing union sources.

After unions at Air France-KLM (nyse: AKH - news - people ) unit Air France filed strike notice on Wednesday, all eight unions at French rail operator SNCF and three out of the eight unions at Paris transport operator RATP said Thursday they have also called for a one-day stoppage on May 22.

At the end of April, five union federations had proposed a national day of action on May 22 to defend the current pensions system. They are notably opposed to the government's plan to extend to 41 from 40 the number of years' contributions required before workers can claim their pensions.

oh my.

I'm booked to fly Air France from LAX to CDG leaving LAX on May 21st and arriving CDG on May 22nd. I'm looking for further information online, but does anyone have any information about if the flight might leave on the 21st if the strike is the 22nd?

Many thanks for any information or past experiences.

We fly from CDG to Washington, DC on Delta/Air France on the 22nd. Will we be able to get out of Paris? What if our hotel is booked up?