Apparently the train workers have been striking because "French protesters are angry about the government's plan to do away with the near-sacred promise of retirement at 60, forcing people to work until 62 because they are living longer."
My feelings about the issue itself aside, the strikes are leaving commuters in Paris out of luck. People in Paris don't all drive to work like we do here in the States. Most of them rely on the Metro system, which is a beautiful thing when it's functional. The article predicts that the strikes will continue in the fall, and that leaves me wondering what this all means for me. How do employers deal with it? Are there "strike days" like our "snow days" where I can gratefully go back to bed when I hear about it, or will I be penalized for not getting to work if the Metro and RER shut down?
According to the article, Parisians have been getting resourceful:
Some Paris commuters had to resort to the city's rental bicycle system, Velib, and not all were happy about it. One commuter, Antonia Gilles, tried it for the first time: "It was a success but it was dangerous."
My commute to Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois where I will teach consists of the Metro, RER, a bus, and even a bit of walking. I really don't want to bicycle 25.3 km (about 15 miles) each way. What is a girl to do when a strike strikes?
Commuters walloped by strikes in France, London
By JEAN-MARIE GODARD
Associated Press
August, 2010
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Dude, seriously... if there's a strike this bad you just don't go to work. No one will care (or notice in my case). Just check the news and they will always tell you how often you can expect an RER train. It's no biggie.
ReplyDeleteI bet you could bike 25km. You'd certainly be in shape if you did. However, I do hope the "snow day" effect works and you can just roll back into bed.
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