French pilot strike hides weakness of once-feared unions

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The Air France strike has been much discussed. But here Bloomberg looks at French union activity across the board, including this summer’s rail strike, and notes that unions are weakening in the socialist-led country. The major unions did not support the pilots’ strike and the impact of many actions has not been successful in recent years, as the economy falters and membership numbers wane. “It’s hard for a strike to stop a money-losing company from closing a plant,” said one economist.