France Grinds to Halt Over Transportation Strike

[katty]

Strike Hobbles French Traffic

Nov 14 11:48 AM US/Eastern
By ELAINE GANLEY


France Grinds to Halt Over Transportation Strike

more: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8STHIJ01&show_article=1

PARIS (AP) - Striking transport workers cut train service and forced Parisians to walk, bike or skate to work Wednesday in a pivotal standoff with President Nicolas Sarkozy over his bid to pare down labor protections.
Workers for the national rail network and Paris public transport authority voted to extend their strike into Thursday. They are threatening an open-ended strike, with daily votes on whether to continue, as they try to hang on to special retirement benefits that Sarkozy wants trimmed.

Sarkozy, however, set the stage for negotiations with unions and companies over the retirement issues that prompted the strikes. "It's advancing," said Prime Minister Francois Fillon.

Employees of the national rail and subway authorities and the gas and electric companies walked off the job to protest plans to extend the retirement age for some 500,000 public sector workers and change other special benefits certain sectors have enjoyed for more than a half- century.

[aquart]

1. Some days I just adore France. This is one.

[winston61]

2. Vive la France!