When even the French are getting tired of unions, you know you’re in trouble:

Newspaper and television opinion polls released Wednesday show dwindling French public support for unions that for decades have shut down services to thwart government efforts to reduce pensions or shrink government institutions.

In a survey conducted for the daily newspaper Le Figaro — which is generally pro-Sarkozy — and television network LCI, nearly seven of every 10 people polled said the strikes were unjustified.

[…]

Natalie Levy, wearing a skirt and black high-heeled pumps, attempted to negotiate a crowded rush-hour sidewalk aboard her son’s scooter Wednesday morning. She hit a gaping crack in the concrete, wobbled and snapped a heel.

In no mood to sympathize with the unions or the government, she groused: “The unions are selfish and the government is spineless. How is Sarkozy going to reform the country and make workers more productive when he can’t even get us to our jobs?”

Clearly, they need a strike buster, a strong leader that can face the transportation industry, look them straight in the eye, and say, “Go ahead, make my day.” Someone like… Reagan.

In all seriousness, what’s truly fascinating about this chain of events is that France is a full 25 years behind England and the U.S., both of whom went through a correction in labor policies in the late 1970s and early 1980s under Reagan and Thatcher. That the French people are losing sympathy for the unions is also interesting, and definitely worth following.

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