Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Week of 11/1-11/5

8 comments:

  1. This week's article is from pg 55, "France's Pension Reforms: After the Protests."

    A few questions are listed below, but don't let them constrain you and feel free to simply take one or two and run with them as well as feeding off of one another's comments.

    Enjoy!

    - - What major changes have resulted from the French protests?

    - - How do modern French union activities compare with their activities of the past? With other nations' union activities?

    - - How has the change in national leadership changed the reform movement?

    - - How can this information be incorporated into the classroom? Modern strikes? The history of strikes? Relationship to other famous strikes?

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  2. Ellie, I am so glad you picked this article! I find the recent protests in France (and French protests in general) extremely fascinating. This article makes a lot of good points about where French unions have been and where they are today.

    The recent protests in France occurred over the issue of whether the retirement age should be raised from 60 to 62. For us in America, this seems like a ridiculous reason to take to the streets. After all, 62 sounds pretty young to most of us...I mean, if I have kids to put through college, I probably won't be able to retire until age 70 at least!! But I feel like protests and demonstrations are somehow imprinted within French culture; the idea that 'le peuple' can rise up and fight for its rights is held sacrosanct.

    However, the union's ability to effect change in France is becoming more limited. Whereas a few decades ago, a major strike could paralyze the country and force politicians to act, the government now ensures at least minimum service with transportation and schools during strikes. This means that most people who want to go to work can still get to work during the strike and the whole nation does not just shut down. President Sarkozy is also much more conservative than some of his predecessors. He is willing to stand up to protesters, and even to major union pressures. Therefore, even though the unions were able to mobilize more protesters in these strikes than ever before, their efforts have turned out to be in vain.

    I think that this article could be used in the classroom in several ways. Certainly it would make an interesting talking point in a civics class over Americans' right to assemble, or in an American history class discussing the Taft-Hartley Act or any other time period related to unionization (or barriers to union activity) in the U.S.

    It might also be interesting, however, to bring this up in a world history lesson on the French Revolution! As this article concludes, many of the French protesters took to the streets believing they are "following in the footsteps of their glorious elders." Though the French Revolution drew inspiration from the American Revolution, it unfolding in a very different manner. Could this have anything to do with how French and American society--and unions and strikes--differ today? Students might enjoy engaging in that kind of discussion.

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  3. Strikers realize that they were not able to achieve the desired results as the legislation was passed in both houses of parliament. Despite their protests, people were still able to work during the strike, even though the industrial sector experienced some setbacks. The government was able to circumvent the strikes as they were able to provide transportation to the workers. The French government was able to successful curtail the striker’s cause, and ultimately strikers were divided on whether to continue or terminate their protesting efforts.

    President Sarkozy hoped that the protests will wane once the legislation was passed. The new president is unrelenting to back down; he is adamant about changing the retirement age as the French are living longer and are threatening the existing pension system. Since the passing of the law, union workers are divided on whether they should continue to protests or if they should end their fight. He is very bold in stating that the protests will have no effect on the passage of the legislation which was true since it past despite the vast support of the protests. For me, I find this a little disappointing because the president is clearly stating that he will not listen to the issues of the people and the law will pass regardless of the public sentiments.

    This lesson could be used to discuss the American Revolution. Students could compare the oil refinery workers to the colonists in regards to the government passing laws without the consent of the governed. Student could discuss if they think that the French union workers should continue or not continue with the protests.

    In world history this could be used to discuss the emergence and development of labor unions throughout the world. For instance, India’s labor unions are commonly compared to labor unions that existed in America over 100 years ago. Students can discuss the effectiveness and weaknesses of labor unions, and analyze the developmental history of organized unions. Also, this article could also be used to discuss elements of reformation and revolution. Students could brainstorm criteria of what they feel needs to be in effect in order for a true revolution to occur.

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  4. Those are all great points and lesson ideas! As I was telling Anna and Ellie (I believe) the other day, I couldn't imagine being able to retire at 60, or 62, and I'm sure the vast majority of Americans feel similarly. That in and of itself would be an excellent starting point for a conversation...talking about socialism, capitalism, and comparing and contrasting French and American culture.

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  5. Interesting choice in article Ellie and very relevant to the study of World History. The French were protesting the government's decision to perhaps increase the legal age of retirement from 60 to 62. Despite their protest/demonstrations, the government still passed the law increasing the legal retirement age. While as Americans, we find it difficult to relate to the still low retirement age, it is imperative to consider differences in European and American work. Americans not only work more hours a week but also work longer into old age than most European nations.

    In addition to longer hours/years of work, Europeans (especially the French) have a tradition of protest and demonstration that dates back to the French Revolution. Workers movements began in Europe long before they did in the United States and in some cases were more successful. While union membership is down in France (8%) compared with other nations such as Germany (19%) and America (12%), the current protests had very high turn out for one day protests at around 1.2 to 1.3 million. Still, despite large numbers, the current government did not budge on its legislation goals. There is a suggestion that a 'silent majority' is coming to terms with the change and thus supports the new retirement age.

    The French strikes offer a great modern example to earlier workers strikes. When teaching students about labor movements and socialism, I have found that students have a difficult time connecting to the material. Even working with college age students, I have had several students ask about socialism and express confusion about the concept. Modern examples allow the students to connect with the material on a more relevant and current level. The issues and concerns of late nineteenth century and early twentieth century workers seem distant and inconsequential. But using a current example may allow students gain historical empathy for those in the past. Also, the organizing tradition of workers past and present is a great example of values that are present in our constitution and are a part of actively engaging as a citizen.

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  6. This issue addressed in this article and the target of these protests, was the raising of the retirement age. It seems that the French government, despite the protests going on throughout the country, the retirement age was raised from 60 to 62. I agree with previous people that an increase in only 2 years, from 60 to 62 does not seem to me like it would cause a national revolt. It is interesting however that this nation is more unionized than France and yet I do not think our nation would take the measures the French people did.

    As the article mentions, the strikes of the past pale in comparisons to today’s efforts. College students in France were using similar slogans to those used in the 1968 strikes but one spectator commented that they were nothing compared to the ancestors they were trying to impersonate. I think the modern day unionists and strike organizers realized they could not bring the country to its knees as it used to able to. National laws keep transportation systems for example running on minimum services so some businesses can keep going in spite of the strikes. They did realize however, to their benefit, that they were still able to play upon public opinion and motivate a civic response from citizens not directly involved in the unions.

    I think this information would go wonderfully into a history curriculum but I am more partial to World History of course! I think studying strikes would be a wonderful way to explore the differing relationships citizens have with their government all around the world. Different governments have different laws in place to prevent as well as facilitate public strikes/protest. Citizens usually test the limits of these laws. It is also interesting to note throughout history how governments have dealt with strikes at different times in their history reflecting the internal and external political climate of the time.

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  7. I am glad that we are covering this issue this week because I briefly caught some clips of it on tv, but I did not fully understand the implications of the protests in France. What really struck me from this article was the difference between current union protests and those in the past. Because the French government is required by law to maintain minimum standards for public transportation and education, organized protests are no longer able to completely paralyze the infrastructure of the country like they could in the past. This has allowed Sarkozy to maintain the passage of the increase in retirement age from 60 to 62 by essentially bypassing the demands of the unions and protesters completely. Although the protesters attempted to hearken back to the 1968 protests, their inability to completely cripple French industry and public services significantly weakened their bargaining power.

    I really like Anna's idea of incorporating this current event with a lesson on the Taft-Hartley Act and anti-unionism in the United States. It would also fit incredibly well with lessons on the French Revolution and other famous protests such as the Salt March in India. Students seem to be intrigued by the idea of questioning authority, so framing this article in a lesson about protest and civil disobedience would help to demonstrate how different cultures attempt to inspire governmental change.

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  8. This is an interesting article and I am glad that you chose it because I too saw a clip of this on TV and wanted to know more. I think the point that has been brought up a lot in the discussion about the protests being a bit trivial is valid. It doesn't seem like a minimum retirement change from 60 to 62 would really be that big of a deal, especially considering the age the rest of the world works to. It's also been said by all of you and the article itself that these protests are as much a result of French students wanting to protest as they are about having an issue worth protesting. I mean have any of you ever been to France, I am convinced nobody actually does any work there anyway.

    I think that this article would work well when going over anything pertaining to labor movements in our own country. It would be a good juxtaposition to show the differences in what people decades ago were fighting for (health care, minimum wege, safe conditions) and what people are protesting about now (retirement, pensions, vacation time). Really any time period where you are teaching about a social movement or reform, this would be a good example to give along with it.

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