Striking Workers Disrupt Paris Museums

Planning to visit museums in Paris soon? You may find your favorite one closed, partly or entirely; on the other hand, you may get into another for free. The reason is a labor dispute: Unions are pressing for creation of hundreds of jobs as France reduces the workweek, and they threaten to intensify the job actions as the summer tourist season kicks in.

On May 11, thousands of museum-goers ventured past picket lines and empty cashier windows into what striking workers dubbed “Open Door Day” at many of France’s top cultural attractions, including the Louvre. The protest, in which employees refused to staff ticket booths, was the third this season.

The strategy has forced the Ministry of Culture to shut museums and monuments periodically in the last several weeks, with little or no notice. The Louvre, the unions’ main target, has lost about $1.4 million and closed one-fifth of its collection because of the labor actions.